Marvels 
by one, quickly drop off and_ steadily 
sink to the bottom. Their density is just 
a little greater than that of the water, 
so that they slowly sink with their apex 
pointing upwards, and so alight upon the 
mud at the bottom standing upright. In 
the accompanying photograph (page 976) 
an example is shown with a bud attached, 
and two others detached and resting on 
the bottom. 
At the bottom of the pond it is 
several degrees warmer than at the sur- 
face, and in this cool, but unfrozen, area 
the Frogbit hes by throughout the winter 
months for warmer days to come, well 
wrapped up in its suit of protective 
scales ; like many of its animal neighbours 
in the pool, it hibernates until the dull 
and cold days have passed. 
Winter floods, and other factors, may 
carry the buds about the bottom of the 
pool, lake, or ditch on which they rest, 
moving them into new surroundings, 
which explains why the Frogbit does not 
necessarily appear the following year in 
the same area where it grew in abund- 
ance the previous season ; but that is of 
little consequence, for the buds do not 
leave the bottom. 
About the end of March, though, they 
become extremely buoyant, the least 
movement of an awakening animal, which 
happens to poke its nose out of the mud, 
causing them to behave like a bouncing 
ball. Some days, during warm sunlight, 
a bud will get a start and rise slowly and 
steadily to the surface, and remain there, 
apparently sunning itself. If the sunlight 
fails, or the cool of night approaches, this 
particularly buoyant bud slowly sinks to 
the bottom again. 
That is the beginning of the spring 
awakening—something analogous to the 
movement of the hedgehog, who has 
remained immovable from November 
until a mild day in March, and who 
then suddenly awakens for a moment, 
only to rearrange its bed and make 
itself more comfortable to sleep} again 
of the Universe 975 
Photos by] [J. J. Ward. 
THE FROGBIT. 
—is shown the development of the bud from March 25th to 
April 4th. 
