January 1, 1909 
The Young Folks. 
NATURE STUDIES. 
Marvels of Pond Life. 
THE LITTLE BRICKMAKER. 
Most of my readers have seen the great 
towering stacks, or chimneys, of a brick 
kiln, but I venture to say that very few 
have seen the little brickmaker that 1 am 
about to study with you. He not only 
builds a stack, but manufactures the 
bricks to build with. Human bricklayers 
build a stack from the outside ; our friend 
builds his from the inside, for his object 
is to make a protection for his frail little 
body. 
He belongs to a class of animals called 
Rotifera. This particular one is a tube 
dweller. There are other rotifera who 
build tubes of mud, etc., but this one’s 
building is a brick mansion. Its body is 
very transparent so all its intricate and 
delicate machinery can be seen; that is, 
when it protrudes its body from its 
house. As we watch its movements we 
are filled with wonder and delight. 
When searching with the microscope 
amongst the collection we have obtained 
from the pond, we see attached toa green 
filament a little brown stick. On closer 
examination we perceive the stick to be 
hollow, and wider at the top than it is 
at the bottom, and also that it is com- 
posed of little round pellets packed 
closely together side by side. But there 
is no sign of his lordship: so we must 
have a little patience, and keep it under 
observation for a minute or so, for he is 
generally snugly folded up on the floor 
of his dwelling. The first intimation of 
his presence is a slight quivering move- 
ment at the entrance, or top part, cf his 
tube, If still undisturbed we seo him 
slowly come forth in all his beauty. He 
has a flower-like form, with cilia vibrating 
around the edges of its leaves: You can 
see the jaws hammering and masticating 
the food as it passes between them, and 
also the little pug mill making and 
turning the refuse, which comes to him, 
sinto little round pellets, or bricks. He 
is truly a wonder of creation, and yet the 
vast majority of the people of the world 
do not dream of his existence. f 
Its scientific name is ‘Melicerta 
Ringens.” The tube is generally about 
one-thirty sixth of an inch long, and is 
composed of about thirty two layers of 
bricks. The pellets are laid neatly side 
by side, and every one is the same size, 
Let us watch him as he proceeds with 
his work. When he is fully expanded, 
the head is bent back at nearly a right 
angle to the body, so that the disc of cilia 
is placed nearly perpendicular instead of 
horizontal. Below the petals there is a 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
a projecting angular chin, which is also 
ciliated, and a immediately below this is 
the little organ we have called the pug 
mill. It is like a small spherical cup. 
On mixing carmine with the water, the 
course of the current is easily traced. 
The little cup becomes filled with 
particles of carmine; they ere then rotated 
round and round, and, no doubt, some 
sort of secretion is added, for we notice 
him bend his head ove: and deposit a 
little pellet on the margin of his case. 
One who has followed the process, saw 
this repeated many times in succession, 
until a good number of carmine pellets 
were laid in their place. After a certain 
number were deposited in one part, he 
would suddenly turn roand in his case 
and deposit a pellet, It takes from two 
anda half to three and a half minutes to 
make and deposit a pellet. It was 
noticed on one occasion that the cup, or 
mill, was brought to the margin of the 
case, but from some cause or other failed 
to deposit the pellet; it was raised for a 
moment, and a second attempt was made, 
-which was successful. 
Tt is wonderful when we think how the 
material drawn to its body is separated. 
Some is passed down to the alimentary 
canal, and is used as food, some is passed 
into the pug-mill and used for bricks; 
while some are rejected altogether as © 
worthless, ‘Thereis no stoppage of any 
one of these operations for the perform- 
ance of the other, Oollecting, sorting, 
grinding, and brickmaking are all going 
on at the same time. 
The young are developed from eggs and 
the way in which they are laid is very 
peculiar. The eggs are shot upwards, 
and then caught within the tube, gen- 
erally between the outside of the animal’s 
body and the inside of the tube, gently 
dropping to the bottom, where the egg is 
hatched and the young protected until 
they leave home, to which they never 
return. 
Conundrums. 
Why isa dog on a hot day like a 
man? 
Because he wears a coat and pants. 
When is a'clock on the stairs danger- 
ous? 
When it runs down and strikes one. 
What side of a cow possesses the most 
hair? : 
The outside, 
When was Adam married ? 
On his wedding Eve. 
How much wood would a woodchuck 
chuck, if a woodchuck would chuck 
wood? 4 
A woodchuck would chuck all the wood 
that a woodchuck would chuck, if a wood- 
chuck would chuck wood. 
37 
Teal3 Dina3es, 
We have had numerous favetious in ~ 
quiries as to what people should have fot 
dinner on Suuday, Wocan only answer 
these questions broadly. As a man is, so 
he dines. Tor instance: 
A policeman should dine on beets. 
A printer on pie. 
A gambler on steaks, 
The woodcutter on chops. 
The jeweller on carrots. 
The electrician on currants. 
The critic on roasts. 
And so on, But sweethearts—how 
should they dine? Like cannibals, of 
course. Why? Well they are deer to 
each other, aren’t they? and most people 
like venison. 
From Rags to Rags. 
Talking of boomerangs, which are all 
the rago just now in spaces wheré they 
throw them, here is one of the literary 
kind. Notice how nicely it comes back 
to the point it starts from: 
Rags make paper. 
Paper make notes, 
Notes make money: 
Money makes banks, 
Banks make loans. 
Loans make paupers. 
Paupers make rags. 
The Penny. 
The penny is first mentioned as an 
English coin in the days of Ina, the King 
ef the West Saxons, who reigned A.D. 
668, and its name was regarded aga 
diminutive of ‘ pana’ or ‘little pledge,’ or 
token. 
InSaxontimes the penny meant a silver 
coin of twenty-four grains (a penny-~ 
weight,) thirty of which,in the time of 
Ethelred. would purchase an ox and 
twelve sheep. he silver was ‘stirling’ a 
term thought to be derived from the 
Hasterlings. or men from the East, who 
had the English coinage in their charge. 
Though pennies in copper were so late 
halfpennies had preceded them by 120 
years, and tokens to the value of a 
farthing, a halfpenny, anda penny were 
issued by traders. . 
eae oomenemenennee ) 
‘Vm _ going to drive the cows home, 
Jimmy Josy said, 
As oe he, proudly started, holding high his 
ead. 
Back he scampered, screaming—poor 
" Ase Josy Jim! 
e didn’t drive the cows home—the 
had driven him ! baat 
_—— 
