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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..51e5a95 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50237 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50237) diff --git a/old/50237-0.txt b/old/50237-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index d085913..0000000 --- a/old/50237-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2747 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The 'Look About You' Nature Study Books, -Book 3 (of 7), by Thomas W. Hoare - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The 'Look About You' Nature Study Books, Book 3 (of 7) - Birds, Seed Eaters and Insect Eaters, A Baby Plant, Uncle - George's Tank, Tadpoles, Frogs - -Author: Thomas W. Hoare - -Release Date: October 16, 2015 [EBook #50237] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LOOK ABOUT YOU NATURE STUDY, VOL 3 *** - - - - -Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Stephen Hutchson, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - [Illustration: Birds in Winter] - - - - - The - “LOOK ABOUT YOU” - Nature Study Books - - - BY - THOMAS W. HOARE - TEACHER OF NATURE STUDY - to the Falkirk School Board and Stirlingshire County Council - - BOOK III. - - [Illustration: Publisher’s Logo] - - LONDON: T. C. & E. C. JACK - 16 HENRIETTA STREET, W.C. - AND EDINBURGH - - _Printed by M‘Farlane & Erskine, Edinburgh._ - - - - - PREFACE. - - -This little book should be used as a simple guide to the practical study -of Nature rather than as a mere reader. - -Every lesson herein set down has, during the author’s many years’ -experience in teaching Nature Study, been taught by observation and -practice again and again; and each time with satisfactory result. The -materials required for most of the lessons—whether they be obtained from -the naturalist-dealer or from the nearest hedge, ditch, or pond—are -within everybody’s reach. - -There is nothing that appeals to the heart of the ordinary child like -_living things_, be they animal or vegetable, and there is no branch of -education at the present day that bears, in the young mind, such -excellent fruit as the study of the simple, living things around us. - -Your child is nothing if not curious. He wants to understand everything -that lives and moves and has its being in his bright little world. - -Nature Study involves so many ingenious little deductions, that the -reasoning powers are almost constantly employed, and intelligence grows -proportionately. The child’s powers of observation are stimulated, and -his memory is cultivated in the way most pleasing to his inquiring -nature. By dissecting seeds, bulbs, buds, and flowers, his hand is -trained, and methods expeditious and exact are inculcated. By drawing -his specimens, no matter how roughly or rapidly, his eye is trained more -thoroughly than any amount of enforced copying of stiff, uninteresting -models of prisms, cones, etc., ever could train it. - -The love of flowers and animals is one of the most commendable traits in -the disposition of the wondering child, and ought to be encouraged above -all others. - -It is the author’s fondest and most sanguine hope that the working out -of the exercises, of which this booklet is mainly composed, may prove -much more of a joy than a task, and that the practical knowledge gained -thereby may tempt his little readers to study further the great book of -Nature, whose broad pages are ever open to us, and whose silent answers -to our manifold questions are never very difficult to read. - - T. W. H. - - - - - CONTENTS - - -LESSON PAGE - I. Birds in Winter 7 - II. Seed-Eaters and Insect-Eaters 12 - III. Buds 16 - IV. A Baby Plant 25 - V. How a Plant Grows 30 - VI. More about Seeds 36 - VII. The Horse Pond in Spring 44 - VIII. Uncle George’s Tank 49 - IX. Tadpoles 54 - X. Frogs, Toads, and Newts 61 - XI. Underground Stems 66 - XII. Caterpillars 76 - XIII. The White Butterfly 82 - XIV. The Toiling Caddis 88 - Appendix 95 - - - - - “LOOK ABOUT YOU.” - BOOK III. - - - - - I.—BIRDS IN WINTER. - - -“When we look out there, it makes us feel thankful that we have a nice -cosy room to play in and a warm fire to sit beside.” - -It was Uncle George who spoke. His two nephews, Frank and Tom, stood at -the window watching the birds feeding outside, while Dolly, their little -sister, was busy with her picture-blocks on the carpet. - -“Yes, it is better to be inside in winter,” said Frank, the elder boy. -“These poor little birds must have a hard time out in the cold all -night.” - -“I should not mind being a bird during the rest of the year, though,” -said little Tom. “It must be so jolly to be able to fly wherever you -like.” - -Uncle George smiled, and said, “Birds are very happy little creatures, -Tom, but they have many enemies. Their lives are in constant danger. -They must always be on the look-out for cats, hawks, guns, and cruel -boys. Those birds that stay with us all the year round have often a hard -fight for life in winter-time. In fact, many of them starve to death. - -“Most of our birds fly to warmer countries in autumn, and come back to -us in spring. These miss the frost and snow, but a great number of them -get drowned while crossing the sea. I think, as a little boy, you are -much better off. - -“Let me see; have you put out any food for the birds this morning?” - -“Yes, Uncle George, we have done exactly as you told us,” said Frank. -“Mother made a little net, which we filled with suet and scraps of meat -for the tomtits. We hung it on the ivy, quite near the window. We also -put plenty of crumbs and waste bits from the kitchen on the space you -cleared for the birds yesterday.” - -“Very good,” said Uncle George, “and I see your feathered friends are -busy in both places.” - -He looked out and saw a crowd of birds hopping on the frozen lawn round -the well-filled dish. The little net, which hung just outside the -window, was alive with hungry tomtits. They pecked eagerly at the suet, -and chattered their thanks between every mouthful. - -“What a lot of birds we have to-day,” Uncle George remarked. “Do you -know the names of them all, boys?” - -“We know those you pointed out to us yesterday,” said Frank. “There is -the chaffinch, the thrush, the greenfinch, the blackbird, and the -hedge-sparrow, but I don’t know that one with the bright red breast, -black velvet head, and grey wings. And there is a new one among the -tomtits. He has a very long tail, and is like a small parrot.” - - [Illustration: ] - - Robin. Starling. Hedge-Sparrow. - Greenfinch. Bullfinch. Sparrow. - Chaffinch. Long-tailed Tit. Linnet. - Blackbird. Rook. Thrush. - -“Oh,” said Uncle George, “the first you spoke of is the bullfinch. He is -so easily tamed that he makes a splendid pet. The hen bullfinch is there -too, I see. She has a dull brown breast, and is not quite so pretty as -her husband. The bullfinch is very fond of berries. If we could get some -hawthorn or rowan berries, we should have all the bullfinches in the -district around us. The other bird is the long-tailed tit. He is also a -very amusing little chap.” - - [Illustration: Bullfinches.] - -“Why do the tomtits make such a fuss about the suet?” asked Tom. “The -bullfinches do not come near it.” - -“That is because the tomtit is a flesh-eater, Tom. He lives on insects. -The bullfinch feeds on berries and seeds. He is also blamed for eating -the young buds of fruit-trees in spring-time, but I am not quite sure -that he does this.” - -“Where are all the insects in winter, Uncle George?” asked Frank. - -“Well, most of them are buried deep in the ground. Some of them are -tucked up in warm cases, and hidden in the chinks of trees and walls.” - -“Then why don’t the birds that feed on insects search those trees and -walls for them,” Frank asked. - -“So the birds do, but the sleeping insects are very hard to find. The -cases which hold them are often coloured exactly like the tree or wall -which they are fixed to; so that even the sharp eyes of a hungry bird -cannot see them.” - - - Exercises on Lesson I. - - 1. Write out the names of all the wild birds you have seen. - 2. Some of these we do not see in winter. How is this? - 3. Why should we remember the birds in winter-time? - 4. Describe the robin. How does he differ from the bullfinch? - - - - - II.—SEED-EATERS AND INSECT-EATERS. - - -The snow did not go away for some days. While it lasted, Frank and Tom -watched the birds very closely. They learned many new and curious things -about them. - -The sparrows and robins had grown so tame that they would fly right up -to the window-sill, and eat the crumbs and seeds that were placed there -for them; while the tomtits paid great attention to the little net bag -that hung quite close to the window. So long as they stood back a short -distance from the window, the two boys could watch the funny tricks of -these hungry little visitors. - -Amongst other things, they learned to tell a seed-eating bird from one -that feeds on insects. - - [Illustration: Tomtits.] - -Seed-eating birds, as their uncle told them, have short, stout, hard -bills, just the thing for shelling seeds. The insect-eaters have longer -and more slender bills; while birds that live upon both seeds and -insects have bills hard enough to shell seeds and yet long and sharp -enough to pick insects out of their hiding-places. - -So many birds came to the feast, that Uncle George cleared the snow from -another part of the lawn and spread some dry ashes upon it. Upon one -patch he scattered seeds and crumbs, and on the other he placed a large -flat dish. - -In this dish were put all sorts of waste scraps from the kitchen, such -as bones, potatoes, and pieces of meat. Uncle George did this so that -the boys could tell flesh-eating birds from those that lived upon seeds. - - [Illustration: Starling.] - -The starlings came to the dish first, and fought among themselves for -the food, although there was much more than enough for them all. - -Then came a few rooks, who walked about the dish in quite a lordly way. -Every now and again one of them would seize a huge crust of bread or a -potato in his clumsy bill and fly with it a short distance away. The -starlings, thrushes, and blackbirds hopped nimbly about, picking up a -choice morsel here and there. - -The new patch was often crowded with finches of all kinds. The boys -noticed that many of the birds fed at both places. Among these were -sparrows, robins, chaffinches, thrushes, and starlings. These birds, -their uncle explained to them, fed on a mixed food of insects, seeds, -and fruits. - -It amused them very much to watch how the rooks and jackdaws always -dragged the food away from the dish, as if they were stealing it; while -now and then a blackbird would fly away with a loud chatter, as if he -had been suddenly found out whilst doing something very wrong. - -“These birds,” said Uncle George, “are looked upon as enemies by farmers -and gardeners. They are scared out of our fields and gardens by every -possible means. That is what makes them steal even the food that is -given to them.” - - [Illustration: Rook.] - -“But they pick the newly-sown seeds out of the ground, and steal the -fruit when it is ripe,” said Frank. “That is what the gardener says.” - -“If the gardener only knew how much they help him, by eating up the -grubs and beetles that damage his plants, he would not grudge them a few -seeds and berries, Frank,” Uncle George replied. “The rook is one of the -farmer’s best friends; and if it were not for thrushes, starlings, -blackbirds, and such insect-eating birds, our gardens would be overrun -with insects. If these insects were allowed to increase, we should not -be able to grow anything. Even the sparrow is the gardener’s friend. He -eats the caterpillars that would spoil our fruit trees and bushes.” - - - Exercises on Lesson II. - - 1. Why do we put out suet and scraps of meat for certain birds in - winter? - 2. How can you tell a flesh-eating from an insect-eating bird? - 3. Write down the names of all the birds which belong to the crow - family. - 4. What makes the jackdaw steal all his food? - 5. Why are jackdaws, rooks, sparrows, starlings, and blackbirds said - to be “the farmer’s friends”? - - - - - III.—BUDS. - - -Uncle George and the two boys had been for a long walk. They brought -home a lot of twigs which they had cut from trees at the roadside. - -Uncle George placed some of these twigs in bottles filled with water. -These bottles were placed in the window, so that they could get plenty -of sunlight. The rest of the twigs were laid upon the table. - -“Now, boys,” said Uncle George, “we are going to find out what buds are. -Here is a twig of the horse-chestnut tree, and here is one of the beech -tree. Do you notice any difference between them?” - -“Oh, yes,” said Frank, “they are very different. The beech buds are -longer.” - -“Anything else?” his uncle asked. - -“The horse-chestnut buds have sticky stuff all over them,” said Tom. - -“Quite right,” said Uncle George. “On the beech twig the buds are placed -singly on opposite sides. On the horse-chestnut twig the buds are in -pairs.” - -Then Uncle George cut one of the buds through with his knife, and they -saw that a great number of thick scales were folded round a little green -thing in the centre. They saw also a mass of woolly stuff between the -scales and the little green object. - -Uncle George gave each of the boys a twig, and showed them how to take -the scales off the top bud with a large needle. The outside scales were -not easily removed. They were so sticky—they stuck to everything that -touched them, and soon the boys’ fingers were covered with the sticky -stuff. As they went on with their work, they found out that the inner -scales were not sticky. At last they got all the scales off, and there -was nothing left but a tiny woolly mass. On teasing out, this woolly -bundle was found to be a little branch bearing small leaves. Every part -of it was covered with wool. - - [Illustration: Twigs of Beech and Chestnut, showing Buds.] - -“Now,” said Uncle George, “you can perhaps tell me what a bud is.” - -“It is just a little baby branch, snugly tucked up in a tiny blanket and -well covered over with many scale-leaves,” said Frank. - -“Very good,” said Uncle George. “Now tell me why it is tucked up in this -warm blanket, and perhaps Tom can tell us what the sticky stuff on the -outer scales is for.” - -“I am sure I cannot tell,” said Frank. - -“Just think,” said his uncle kindly. “Why did you call it a _baby_ -branch? Is it because it is so small, or because it is so snugly wrapped -up? Why are babies wrapped up in soft warm clothing?” - -“Oh, I know now,” said Frank, “The woolly stuff is to keep out the -winter cold.” - -“And the sticky stuff on the outside,” said Tom, “must be for keeping -out the rain.” - -“You are both right,” said Uncle George. “Buds are formed in autumn and -early winter. They are, as you have seen, very tender little things. -Frost or wet would kill them. But rolled up in soft woolly clothing, -covered in with many thick scale-leaves, and made quite waterproof by a -thick coat of the sticky stuff, they do not fear the cold. - -“If you look at your twigs again, you will find that in taking off the -scales you have left a thick ring of marks right round the twig. - -“Now, if you look down the twig, you will notice another ring of such -marks. These are the scale-marks of last year’s bud. The part of the -twig in between these two ring marks is a year’s growth.” - -“There is a third ring on mine farther down the stem,” said Frank. - -“Yes, and another farther down still,” said Uncle George. “These are the -bud marks of former years. Let us measure the distance between them, for -in this way we can tell the kind of summers we have had in past years. - - [Illustration: Hedge and Trees in early Spring] - - [Illustration: Plants protected by Thorns and Prickles] - -“Last year’s growth, you see, is two inches. The growth of the year -before is three inches, and the one beneath that is four and a half -inches. This tells us that there was very little sunshine during last -summer or the summer before, and that three years ago there was a warm -summer, causing much growth.” - -“I see some other strange marks on the twig,” said Tom. - -“Oh, you mean the horse-shoe marks. These are the scars left by the big -green leaves which fell off in autumn. You will find one of these -curious horse-shoe marks under each bud. - - [Illustration: Hawthorn Twigs.] - -“Here is a hawthorn twig. I brought it to let you see another way in -which plants protect their buds. In the hawthorn the buds usually occur -in pairs together. Between each pair of buds there is a long sharp -thorn. - -“The reason why every pair of buds is guarded in this way is very clear. -The horse-chestnut and beech have tall, stout stems, which rear up their -branches far out of the reach of grazing animals. The hawthorn is a low -growing tree. Its branches are within easy reach, and its tender buds -would be nipped off by sheep and cattle if it were not for these sharp -thorns. - -“The thorns also prevent the buds from being knocked off by anything -rubbing against the hawthorn hedge. You will notice that each thorn is -very much longer than the buds beside it. These thorns can give a very -cruel prick, as every boy knows who has tried to cut a twig from the -hawthorn hedge. - -“By and by we shall see that there are many plants which arm themselves -against animals in this way.” - - - Exercises on Lesson III. - - 1. Take in twigs with buds on them in December. Place them in water, - and watch them from day to day. - 2. Select one bud, and make a drawing of it every third day from the - time it begins to open. Keep your drawings. - 3. How are buds protected? (1) from cold; (2) from animals. - 4. What causes the “horse-shoe” marks on horse-chestnut twigs? - 5. Make a drawing of a small beech twig, showing buds and leaf-scars. - - - - - IV.—A BABY PLANT. - - -“To-day,” said Uncle George, “we are going to try to find out something -about seeds.” And he placed upon the table a saucerful of beans which -had been soaking in water for two days. - -“First let us look at the seeds as they are when we get them from the -shop,” he said, laying a handful of hard, wrinkled beans upon the table. - -“They are as hard as stones, and very much smaller than those we -soaked,” said Frank. - -“Yes, that is one thing we have learned about them already. Seeds take -in water and swell greatly.” As he spoke, Uncle George gave Frank, Tom, -and Dolly each a small knife and a needle mounted in a handle. He then -laid a small magnifying glass on the table. - -“Take a soaked bean and look at it well,” he said. “First we will look -at the outside of it, then we will see what it has inside.” - -“My bean is covered all over with a smooth skin,” said Dolly. - -“And there is a long black mark on one side of it,” Tom added. - -“Come on, Frank,” said his uncle, “haven’t you got something to say.” - -“It is sort of kidney-shaped,” said Frank. - -“Nothing more?” - -Frank shook his head. - -“Squeeze it,” said Uncle George, “and tell me what you see.” - -“Oh, there is water oozing out of a little hole at the end of the black -mark,” said Frank. - -“That shows us that the seed is not quite covered by its skin,” said -their uncle. “That little hole is there to allow a tiny root to grow -out. - -“Now let us remove the skin, or skins rather, for there are two of them. -Begin as far away from the black mark as you can. You see that the outer -skin is tough like leather, while the inner one is soft and silky. Now, -if you pull the skins off gently, you will find something like a stout -little root pointing towards the little hole you have already noticed. -If you look at the edge of the seed you will notice a thin line or -crack. Putting the knife into this crack, we find that the seed consists -chiefly of two large, flat, white parts or lobes, with a very small -object in between them. Let us remove one of these white masses, and -have a look at this small object with the glass.” - - [Illustration: Seed of Runner Bean. - (1) outside; (2) inside; (3) baby plant, enlarged. - _a_, shoot; _b_, root; _c_, seed coat or skin; _d_, junction of - seed-leaves.] - -Each of the children had a look through the glass in turn. - -“Why,” said Tom, “it is very like what we found inside the -horse-chestnut bud. I can see two tiny leaves.” - -“Remove the little object on the point of your needle and look at it -again,” said Uncle George. “It has got something that your little -horse-chestnut shoot did not have, I think.” - -“There is a little thing like a root,” said Tom. - -“It is a little plant with a very fat little root,” said Frank. - -“That is just what it is,” said his uncle. - -“Has every seed got a little plant inside it, Uncle George?” Dolly -asked. - -“Every seed, Dolly, no matter how small.” - -Uncle George split up one of the hard seeds that had not been soaked, -and showed them a little plant of the same kind inside; but it was so -hard and brittle that he could crumble it up into powder between his -fingers. - -“And what are the two large white lobes for?” asked Frank. - -“These are the seed-leaves. They are stores of plant-food. The young -plant is fed by these until its root grows far down into the soil and -its shoot grows high up into the air—until it is old enough and strong -enough to find food for itself, in fact. - -“In the bud, the little shoot is fed by the sap of the mother-plant. -Here, in the seed, we have a baby plant wrapped up in two coats, one -thick and leathery and the other soft and warm; and, in place of a large -feeding-bottle, there are two huge masses of plant-food wrapped up with -it.” - -“Why do we put seeds in the ground to make them grow?” asked Frank. - -“A seed requires three things to make it grow. These three things -are—_water_, _air_, and _warmth_. We can grow seeds without soil at all -if we give them these three things. But if either water, air, or warmth -be wanting, your seeds cannot grow.” - -“That is why seeds won’t grow outside in winter, then,” said Frank. - -“That is the reason,” his uncle answered. “In winter there is not enough -heat to make seeds grow. If you sow seeds in a pot of dry soil in -summer, and do not give them water, they will not grow.” - -“I think a seed is a most wonderful thing,” said Tom. - -“It is,” said Uncle George, “wonderful indeed. The most wonderful thing -about it is that there is life in it—sleeping life, awaiting these three -things I have told you about. - -“Dried up, and as hard as a stone, it will keep for years; but when air, -warmth, and moisture are given it, it springs into life and becomes a -plant, which grows, produces seeds, and dies. - -“Now, we will plant the rest of the soaked beans—not in ground, for I -want to let you see that the seed-leaves contain far more food than the -tiny plant requires to feed it until it is old enough to take care of -itself. - -“We will plant these seeds in damp sawdust, from which they can get no -food. We will see that they get water, air, and warmth, but no food -except what is in the big seed-leaves.” - -Uncle George then got a box filled with sawdust, and placed the beans in -it. He arranged them in different ways. Some beans he placed edgeways, -others longways, others lying on their sides. - -“I am doing this,” he said, “to show you that, no matter how a seed -happens to lie in the soil, its root will always grow down and its shoot -will always grow up.” - -He then covered them up with a thin layer of sawdust, and placed the box -in a warm corner of the kitchen. The boys promised to water the seeds -every day, and to watch them as they grew. - - - Exercises on Lesson IV. - - 1. Soak some seeds of broad bean (or pea) and maize (or wheat) for - twenty-four hours. Plant some in damp sawdust. - 2. What do you see when you open a bean seed? - 3. Pick off the little baby plant, and try to draw it big. - 4. Cut down through the centre (flat side) of a maize seed. Try to - make out the little seed plant and the food store. - 5. Every third day dig up a growing seed and draw it. Put the date - beneath each drawing. Keep your drawings carefully. - - - - - V.—HOW A PLANT GROWS. - - -Every day the boys watched their buds and seeds bursting into life. - -It was slow work; but, as winter passed slowly away and they were able -to go out for walks more often, they had much to amuse them. They -brought home all sorts of curious things, and soon had quite a host of -living things to watch. - - [Illustration: Four Stages in the opening of Horse-Chestnut Buds.] - -Three weeks passed before the horse-chestnut buds showed any signs of -opening. By this time they had swelled out very much. First the sticky -scales moved apart, then folded themselves backwards out of the way, and -at last fell off altogether. - -This moving apart of the scales was caused by the shoot or branch inside -the bud, which was growing rapidly. - -Before the scales fell off, it had burst its way through them. It was -now a large mass of thick leaves all folded together, and covered all -over with a sort of wool. - -Soon these thick leaves moved apart, the woolly covering came off, and -what a month ago was a little woolly body, so tiny that it had to be -picked apart with a needle, was now a large stout branch, smooth and -green, and bearing beautiful broad leaves. - -Some of the buds brought forth small clusters of little green balls. -These the boys at first thought were berries, but they afterwards found -out that they were flowers. - -After all the buds had quite opened out, they began slowly to wither. -Uncle George told them the reason of this. It was because the branch had -been cut away from the mother-tree, which drew its food from the soil -and air. - -The growing buds had used up all the sap which the cut branch contained. - -But by the time their twigs had withered, the buds outside had began to -open—for spring was now at hand. - -The hedges were becoming greener every day. The birds were heard singing -in the woods, and little green shoots were springing up everywhere under -foot. - -Frank and Tom brought home opening buds of all kinds, and watched the -hedges and trees as they walked daily to school. - -Two of the bean seeds were dug up out of the sawdust every second or -third day. In this way the boys were able to see exactly how a bean -plant grows from seed. - - [Illustration: Stages in the Germination of the Runner Bean. - In 1 and 4, inside of seed, growing baby plant is shown.] - -First the seed swells out; then the skin bursts, and the little plant in -between the two masses of plant-food begins to grow. - -The root always grows down straight. The little shoot always grows -upwards. - -After the root has grown about an inch it begins to branch; and in about -two weeks these branch branch-roots are searching the soil for food all -around the main root. - -The shoot meanwhile is growing in length and thickness. It remains -folded up until it reaches the air and light. Then its leaves open out -and turn from a creamy colour to bright green. - -One small box of seeds was placed in a dark cupboard. These beans grew -much more quickly than those grown in the light; but they were pale, -lank, and sickly. They never turned green. - -From this the boys learned that the green colour of leaves and stems is -due to the action of light. - -Uncle George took a few grains of wheat and placed them upon wet -blotting-paper. A tumbler turned upside down was placed over them. - -In a few days the children saw that a few small roots had grown out from -the end of each grain. - -When these roots had grown to about half an inch in length, great tufts -of long slender hairs sprang out all round them near their tips. These, -their uncle told them, were “root-hairs.” - -The root-hairs of a plant are so fine that they are always torn off when -we dig or pull a plant out of the ground. It is by means of these -slender root-hairs that the plant is able to suck water out of the soil; -and this water always contains a very little plant-food in it. - -The boys noticed that the wheat grain did not sprout in the same way as -the bean seed. Instead of one stout little root, three usually came out. -The tiny shoot seemed to grow from the _outside_ of the grain, and the -two large masses of plant-food were missing. - - [Illustration: Stages in the Germination of Wheat.] - -Some wheat seeds were soaked and cut down the middle. With the aid of -the glass, the boys saw that in the wheat seed the baby plant is -attached to _one_ large mass of plant-food, made up of flour with an -outside layer of bran. - -Their uncle then told them that all the flowering plants in the world -are of two great families, namely, those whose seeds have only one food -store, like the wheat grain, and those whose seeds have two, like the -bean. - - - Exercises on Lesson V. - - 1. Explain all that happens when a horse-chestnut bud opens. - 2. Why do the buds which you force indoors wither after they open? - 3. What changes come over your bean seeds as they grow? - 4. Do the young plants draw any food from the sawdust? If not, what - feeds them? - 5. What three things does a seed need in order to start growing? - - [Illustration] - - 1. Magnified sections of Maize and Wheat Seeds, showing Young Plant, - Food Store, etc. - 2. Germination of Maize. - 3. Maize growing in Sawdust. - 4. Maize growing in Tap Water. - 5. Bean growing in Bottle over Water. - - - - - VI.—MORE ABOUT SEEDS. - - -It was raining in torrents outside, and the boys were a little upset -inside, for it was Saturday. They always looked forward to Saturday, for -it was their great rambling day. - -“I’m afraid we can’t get out to-day,” said Frank, sadly. - -“I’m afraid not,” said his uncle. “But that is no reason why we should -sulk. We have those maize seeds to look over, you know, and by the time -we have done that perhaps the rain will have stopped.” - -While Frank and Tom were bringing the boxes of seeds, Uncle George and -Dolly were busy getting out knives, glasses, mounted needles, and the -books they made their notes and sketches in. - -There were four small boxes in all. Each box had been sown with maize or -Indian corn at times a week apart, so that the plants in one box were -five weeks old, in the next four weeks old, and so on. - -“We will begin as we did with the bean. Let us cut the seed open first.” -As he spoke, Uncle George laid some soaked maize seeds on the table. - -“If you look at these seeds carefully, you will notice a large mark on -one of the flat sides of each.” - -“I see it,” said Frank. “It is shaped something like a cone, and its -broad end is at the narrow end of the seed.” - -“It is lighter in colour than the rest of the seed,” said Tom. - -“You are both right,” said their uncle. “Now I want you to cut the seed -longways, right down through the middle of that mark. Then use your -glass, and tell me what you see. - -“Look closely,” said Uncle George, “first into one half and then into -the other.” - -“Oh, I see something like a tiny plant,” said Tom. “It is shut off from -a great mass of what looks like plant-food, just like our wheat grains.” - -Tom made a rough sketch of it, and showed it to his uncle. - -“That is the baby plant, and the great mass above it is plant-food,” -said his uncle. - -“Come on, Frank. Don’t let Tom do all the finding out. What have you to -say?” - -“The maize seed has only one mass of plant-food, and it does not seem to -have two seed coats like the bean,” Tom replied. - -“You are right,” said Uncle George; “but if you look again you will see -that there is a thick layer of food stuff outside, which is of a -different colour from the rest. - -“This is like the bran layer which is round the food store in the wheat -grain. - -“This food store is starch, or, as we call it, _flour_. - -“Now, let us look at the growing seeds. We will take a few seeds out of -each box and see how they differ. - -“The seeds in this box, the last sown, are just a week old. You see the -root and shoot are just beginning to show. - -“Make a sketch, drawing it as large as you can, and write under it, -‘Maize seed after a week’s growth.’ - -“Do the same with a seed from each of the other three boxes, and when -you have drawn them all, tell me of any differences you notice between -the growth of maize and that of the bean.” - -“They do not grow in the same way at all,” said Frank, as he drew his -last sketch. “In the maize seed the baby plant seems to be stuck on to -one of the flat sides of the seed.” - -“What about the roots, Frank?” - -“Oh yes, I see that,” Frank went on. “The root branches out all at once -in the maize seed. In some of these seeds the main root has scarcely -grown at all. Their roots are all branch-roots.” - -“And, in the oldest plants, one great leaf rolls round the shoot and -hides it,” said Tom. “In the bean shoot we saw two leaves quite -plainly.” - -“Quite right, Tom. Now, boys, compare your drawings with those you made -of the bean. I will grow a maize and a bean seed together, so that you -can watch the growth of both, and compare them day by day.” - -Uncle George then got an empty pickle bottle, and poured some water into -it. Then he took a soaked bean seed, and, having run a thread through it -with a needle, he hung it inside the bottle. He then corked the bottle, -and placed it in the window. - -He next took an old lamp chimney, and made a roll of blotting-paper to -fit the inside of it. This roll of paper was stuffed with moss. A few -maize seeds were pushed in between the glass and the paper, and the lamp -chimney was placed in a saucerful of water in the window. - - [Illustration: Plants that grow like Maize. - These plants have but one food mass in each of their seeds.] - - [Illustration: The Horse Pond in Spring.] - -“Now, boys,” said Uncle George, “I want you to watch these seeds every -day. If you do so, you will learn how a seed grows into a plant; and you -will learn this not from me, but from the plant itself.” - -Uncle George filled a wide bottle with water from the tap, and fixed one -of the five-week-old maize plants in it by means of a split cork. - -“I want you to watch this plant growing,” he said, as he placed the -bottle in the window. “You ought to draw it once a week. Most people -think that plants draw their food chiefly from the soil. This is a great -mistake. - -“Plants take most of their food from the air, as you will see if you -watch the growth of this plant. Of course, it has a good food store in -the seed; but I think you will be surprised at the growth it makes from -that food store, the bottle of tap water, and the air.” - - - Exercises on Lesson VI. - - 1. Make sketches of a soaked bean and of a soaked maize seed. - 2. Place a few beans (or peas) and a few maize (or wheat) seeds in a - box of damp sawdust. Water regularly. After a week dig up a - seed of each and draw them. - 3. Dig up a seed of each at intervals of two weeks, three weeks, and - four weeks; draw and compare them. - 4. Sow in a box of sawdust a few of each of the following—date stones, - orange pips, walnuts, chestnuts. Keep the box in a _warm_ - place, and watch how these seeds grow. - - - - - VII.—THE HORSE POND IN SPRING. - - -When Frank and Tom came home from school one afternoon, they found their -uncle very busy finishing a net he had made of green gauze. - -It had the shape of a shallow bag, and was fixed to a stout wire ring. -This ring was fastened to a walking-stick with a piece of strong string. - -On the table there were three wide glass jars, each with a piece of cord -tied round the neck to serve as a handle. - -“Now,” said Uncle George, as he finished tying the net to the stick, -“now we are all ready for a visit to that pond of yours.” - - [Illustration: Pond-Net and Glass Jars.] - -The pond was about half a mile away, in the corner of a field near a -wood. A small stream ran out of it, and joined a larger one a short -distance away. The last time the boys had seen this pond it was covered -with ice, and they had a merry time skating upon it. When they reached -it on this afternoon, it looked quite different. The grass around its -banks was fresh and green, and rushes were peeping up through the water. - -“Listen!” said Uncle George. - -“_Croak, croak, cr-roak_” came from beyond the rushes, while here and -there a little head would bob up and down in the water. - - [Illustration: Frog and Spawn in Water.] - -“Frogs!” said Frank. - -Uncle George nodded, and, stepping to the edge of the pond, he pulled -the net out, and with it a large mass of what looked like clear jelly, -having a large number of black dots in it. - -“Bring the largest jar, Tom,” he said, “we are going to take this home.” - -“What is it, Uncle George?” both boys asked at once. - -“It is a mass of frog’s eggs, called the spawn of the frog,” their uncle -replied. “Now, Frank, hold the jar over the water while I try to pour it -in.” - -It was no easy matter getting it into the jar. It fell back into the -pond several times before it was at last got in the jar. - -“There,” said Uncle George, as he placed the jar, now filled with frog -spawn, upon the bank. “Now, let us go to another part of the pond and -look for something else. - -“Keep quite still and look into the water. That is the only way to study -pond life. If you move about you will see very little. Now tell me if -you see anything moving at the bottom of the pond.” - -“I see things like little pieces of stick moving slowly about,” said Tom -in a whisper; “but perhaps it is the water that is moving them.” - -“Not a bit of it,” said Uncle George. “They are not pieces of stick. -There is a living creature inside each of them. We must have some of -them, Tom. They are very interesting creatures.” And Uncle George put -his hand carefully down and picked several of them up. - -“These are caddis ‘worms,’” said Uncle George. He placed them in the -second jar, and filled it up with water. - -Tom then saw that each of the “sticks” was really a little house, in -which was an insect of some sort. - -The cases were built of all kinds of odds and ends, glued together by -the clever creatures that lived inside them. - -Some were built of little pieces of rush or water-weed, others of tiny -shells, and others of very small stones. - -Each case was open at one end, and from this end the little dweller came -almost half-way out. They could see his head, his legs, and the fore -part of his body as he moved along, dragging his little house after him. - -“Uncle George, come here please,” Frank shouted from the other side of -the pond. “Oh, such a funny animal—a fish with legs.” - -“A fish with legs?” said Uncle George, laughing. “Oh, we must come and -see that.” - -“Why, that isn’t a fish, Frank. It is a newt.” And Uncle George put in -the net to catch him. But the creature was too quick for him. It darted -out of sight. - -“Here are two others. Oh, such big ones,” said Tom, in a loud whisper. - -This time Uncle George was luckier. When he drew up the net there were -two large creatures like lizards in it. - -“This is a lucky find, boys,” said their uncle. “Great crested newts, -and what beauties they are!” - -The boys were surprised to see him take one of the newts out of the net -in his hand. He turned them over and looked at them closely before -putting them into the jar. - -“Aren’t you afraid they will bite you, Uncle George?” Tom asked. - -“No, they cannot bite, and for a very good reason. They have got no -teeth. They are most harmless creatures. - -“But we must be getting home, boys. We have done well for our first -visit to the pond. I will tell you all about what we have found when we -get home, and you must watch them closely for yourselves.” - -“Are we going to keep all these animals?” Frank asked. - -“We will keep them for a little while, so as to find out what we can -about them, then we will put them in the pond again.” - - - Exercises on Lesson VII. - - 1. What did the boys find in the pond? - 2. What other living things may be seen in ponds? Make a list of all - the pond creatures you know. - 3. Why do caddis “worms” build cases round themselves? - 4. Can newts bite? Give reason. - - - - - VIII.—UNCLE GEORGE’S TANK. - - -Uncle George’s tank was very simple. It was made up of several large -glass bells, such as the gardener uses for covering tender plants. - - [Illustration: Uncle George’s Aquarium.] - -Each glass bell had a nob on the end of it. Uncle George got a large -block of wood for each bell-jar. This block he hollowed out with a -chisel. - -He next bored a large hole in the centre of the hollow to hold the nob. -Then he cut a piece of thick green cloth into a round shape, with a hole -in its centre. - -This piece of cloth was placed over the hollowed out part of the block, -and the bell-jar, turned upside down, was placed in the block so that -the glass nob fitted into the hole. - -Uncle George fitted up four of these tanks and filled them with fresh -water. The frog spawn was put into the first vessel. The next was for -the newts. The third one held the caddis worms and some other curious -creatures that had been found in the ditch. - -In the fourth vessel were half a dozen pretty little fishes called -stickle-backs, which the boys had caught in the brook. - -Some water weeds and a few water snails or whelks were put into each -vessel, except that with the frog spawn in it. - -Every other morning Uncle George changed the water by means of a tube -which he called a siphon. - -This was a piece of lead pipe, about two feet long, and bent in the -middle into the form of the letter U. - -“The water weeds are very pretty,” said Frank. - -“They are,” replied his uncle, “and they are also very useful. They help -to keep the water pure. I should have to change the water every day if -there were no weeds in it. - - [Illustration: Stickle-backs, Pond Weed, etc., in Aquarium.] - -“The whelks also are most useful. They are the road-men of our ponds and -streams. They eat up all the waste matter, and so keep the water clean -and healthy.” - -It was great fun feeding those little fishes. They were fed sometimes on -raw meat chopped very fine, sometimes on little pieces of biscuit. At -first they were very shy, but they soon got over that. In less than a -week they were quite at home, and would come up to the top of the water -and take tiny pieces of beef from the boys’ fingers. - -They would swim after Frank’s finger as he drew it round the tank, and -would even leap out of the water for food that was held out to them. - -At times they darted about as if playing “hide and seek” among the water -weeds. - -By and by the boys noticed that every time one of the little fish darted -at another, the three cruel spines rose up on his back, and that he was -really trying to spear his neighbour. - -One morning a dead stickle-back was found in the bottom of the tank. A -few days later another little fish was picked out pale and stiff. - -“They are killing one another,” said Frank. “What shall we do?” - -“If any more of this fighting goes on we shall have to put them back -into the brook,” said Uncle George. - -“Do they always fight?” - -“No, not always—only in spring-time when they are mating. Look! there is -one of them getting very pretty. He is the victor—the bully of the -pool.” - -“Let us call him _Bully_,” said Dolly; “he is bigger than the others, -and oh, so much more beautiful.” - -Next day another stickle-back was found dead, and Bully’s colours were -much brighter. He darted about as if the whole tank belonged to him. - -He was really a lovely fish now, and he seemed to know it by the proud -way in which he dashed about, showing off his fine slender body all -shiny with crimson, blue, and gold. He was, as Dolly said, “Just like a -little bit of rainbow.” - -But before the evening a very curious thing took place. Bully seemed to -have suddenly lost all his fine colours; and instead of swimming proudly -at the top of the tank, he slunk sulky to the bottom. - -The strange thing was that _another_ stickle-back—a smaller fish than -Bully—was now brightly coloured, and seemed to be lord of the tank. - -“Bully has been beaten,” said Uncle George, “and his victor has taken -not only the courage but the colour out of him.” - -“It serves him right, I think, for being so proud and so cruel. But what -is the meaning of all this fighting and change of colours, Uncle -George?” - -“Oh, it is very simple, Frank. There is a lady stickle-back in the -question; and, like the brave knights of old, our little stickle-backs -are trying to win her by fighting. - -“The victor will marry her. They will build a neat little nest for -themselves, and live happily together. - -“To-morrow we will take them back to the brook, where the weak ones will -be better able to escape. - -“In June we will visit the brook. If we are lucky enough to find one of -their nests, you will see that after Lady Stickle-back lays her tiny -eggs in it, her little husband guards the home night and day. - -“When the family are hatching out, the plucky little stickle-back -bravely defends the nest. - -“He drives away water-beetles, perch, and other fishes much larger than -himself. For well he knows that these visitors would quickly gobble up -his darlings if they got the chance.” - - [Illustration: Stickle-backs and Nest.] - - - Exercises on Lesson VIII. - - 1. What is an aquarium? - 2. Why are water weeds and water snails put into an aquarium? - 3. How do you feed small fish? Why should you be careful not to put in - more than the fishes can eat? - 4. Where does the stickle-back lay its eggs? - - - - - IX.—TADPOLES. - - -The frog spawn, when first put into the big glass bell, was just a mass -of jelly-like stuff studded all over with black dots. - -When looked at closely, it was seen to consist of many round, clear -eggs. Each egg was surrounded by a thin skin, and had, in its centre, a -little round black ball or yolk. - -At the end of a week all these black yolks had lost their round shape. -They were now long and oval. During the next four days these oval yolks -became little moving animals, each having a head, body, and tail, but no -limbs. - -From the head of each there grew out two pairs of feathery objects. -These, Uncle George told the boys, were gills or breathing organs. Soon -another pair of these feathery gills appeared: so that each little -creature had now three on each side of his head. - -By the end of the second week the little creatures had all wriggled out -of the eggs. They hung together by their feathery gills in little black -groups. - -“What shall we feed them on?” Frank asked his uncle. - -“They are not at all nice in their tastes,” Uncle George replied. “They -will eat almost anything, from water weeds up to drowned kittens. If -they get nothing else, they will eat one another, and not mind it a -bit.” - -“How dreadful,” said Frank. “Hadn’t we better give them something to eat -now, for fear they may eat each other up.” - -“It wouldn’t do much good giving them anything to eat now, for they have -_no mouths_.” - - [Illustration: The Development of the Tadpole. - 1. Portion of Frog Spawn. 2. Same after ten days. 3. A Newly-Hatched - Tadpole. The remaining figures show the same Tadpole at (4) one week; -(5) three weeks; (6) seven weeks; (7) eleven weeks; (8) thirteen weeks; - and (9) fourteen weeks after hatching.] - -“No mouths, Uncle George?” - -“No mouths,” Uncle George repeated. “Is it not curious? For four days -the tadpole, or young frog, has no mouth, and yet during that time he -grows a great deal. - -“Four days after he leaves the egg his mouth appears. It is a very small -mouth, fringed with frilled, fleshy lips. These lips are moved by a pair -of strong, horny jaws. This mouth is very different from the wide, -gaping mouth of the frog.” - -Just as Uncle George had said, the tadpoles ate nothing for four days. -Then their mouths appeared, and they began to eat the water weeds. But -Uncle George fed them on raw meat. He said it made them grow quickly. A -small piece of raw beef, tied to the end of a string, was lowered into -the tank, and the tadpoles swarmed around it. What was left of the beef -was pulled out every morning, and a fresh piece put in. - -By this means the water was kept clean, and had only to be changed once -a week. - -“Why, they have no gills now,” said Frank one day, as he was helping his -uncle to change the water. - -“Oh yes, they have, Frank. They have gills like a fish now. - -“When they are about four weeks old, their feathery gills go away; but, -before this, four gill-slits are formed in each side of the tadpole’s -head.” - -Uncle George took a glass tube about twelve inches long, and placing his -thumb tightly on one end of it, he pushed it down into the water until -the other end was right above a tadpole. - -Then he took his thumb off, and the tadpole and some water shot up the -tube. He then replaced his thumb tightly on the end of the tube, and -lifted it out of the water. - -The tadpole and water remained in the tube as long as he kept his thumb -on the end of it. He emptied the contents of the tube into a little -dish, and Frank looked at the tadpole with a glass. - -“I can’t see the gill-slits,” said Frank. - -“Oh yes, you can, if you look closely. What seems to be a big head is -really head and body covered over by a cloak of skin.” - -“Yes, I see the gills now,” said Frank. “They are red in colour. I also -see the cloak. There is an opening on the left side of it.” - -“That is so,” said his uncle. “That opening is there to let the water -into the gills.” - -At the end of the fifth week, Uncle George took some tadpoles out for -the boys to look at. - -“Do you see any change?” he asked. - -“Yes,” said Tom, “they have two things like hind legs growing out.” - -“These _are_ legs,” his uncle said, “and in two weeks from now these -legs will have movable joints in them.” - -Day by day the tadpoles were carefully watched, and the following -wonderful changes were observed. - -When about seven weeks old, their hind legs became jointed, and long -toes were formed. The tadpoles were now able to kick out and swim by -means of their long hind legs. Their gills went away, and they came to -the surface and took mouthfuls of air. They now had lungs instead of -gills. - -But the most striking change came at the end of the eleventh week. - -One by one they lost the cloak which covered head and body. - -Under this cloak a pair of fore legs had been folded up and hidden for -some time. They were now tiny, wide-mouthed frogs, with long, clumsy -tails. - -The clumsy tails grew smaller and smaller daily. At last there was no -tail left, and what was at one time a cluster of black, wriggling -tadpoles, was now a crowd of lively little dark yellow frogs. - -The boys wished to keep them longer, but their uncle told them that they -could not do this. - -“Your tadpoles are now frogs,” he said. “The frog is an insect eater. As -we cannot give these little frogs their natural food, we must place them -where they can get it for themselves, or they will die.” - -So the frogs were carried back to their native pond. - - - Exercises on Lesson IX. - - 1. What are tadpoles? - 2. How old is the frog before his hind legs appear? - 3. A tadpole seems to be all head and tail. Can you explain this? - 4. How do tadpoles breathe—(1) when they are first hatched? (2) when - they are four weeks old? (3) when they are eleven weeks old? - - [Illustration: Frog, Toad, and Newt—showing Eggs of Toad and Newt, and - Tadpoles of Frog and Toad] - - - - - X.—FROGS, TOADS, AND NEWTS. - - -“I think we had better take our newts back to the pond now, Frank.” - -“Oh, do let us keep them for a day or two longer, Uncle George. They are -getting quite tame.” - -As he spoke, Frank drew his finger slowly round the outside of the glass -vessel that held the newts. One of the creatures swam round, following -his finger. - -“Look, Uncle George! He knows me.” - -“He is hungry, and thinks you ought to have a small worm in your -fingers.” - -“_Thinks?_ Uncle George. Can newts _think_?” - -“It looks as if they could, does it not? We feed these creatures every -day, and they have got into the habit of looking for food every time we -come near them. But here comes Tom with the worms.” - -It was curious to watch how the newt acted when a tiny worm was given -it. At first it seemed not to see the worm, although it was wriggling at -his nose. It crept back slowly about two or three inches, then all at -once it sprang upon the worm and gobbled it up. - -“You must tell us all about the newt, Uncle George,” said Tom. - -“I should like to know how much you two boys have found out by feeding -and watching these two,” said Uncle George. “So just tell me what _you_ -know about the newt first, then perhaps I can tell you some things about -newts, frogs, and toads which you do not know.” - -“Well,” began Tom, “the newt lives in water. He has four feet, with -pretty little toes upon them, and a long tail. He feeds upon worms, -tadpoles, and other small animals, and he swallows them whole, because -he has no teeth. - - [Illustration: Crested Newt, Male and Female.] - -“The male has a huge crest, and is gay with bright colours. - -“The female has no crest. She lays her eggs upon the pond weeds. A -single egg is laid upon a leaf. The leaf is then rolled round it, so as -to hide it from enemies.” - -“Very good, Tom,” said his uncle; “but you have not told us about the -newt’s skin.” - -“Oh, I forgot that,” Tom went on. “The newt has a lovely silky skin, -which it only wears for about a week, then it casts it off. Now, tell us -something more about them, Uncle George.” - -“The newt does not live in the water all the year,” said Uncle George. -“During autumn and winter great families of newts sleep together under -stones and in dry holes in the earth. They only go to the pond in early -spring to lay their eggs.” - -“Do newts ever become frogs or toads?” asked Frank. - -“Oh no, Frank, never. I know what makes you think that. It is because -the young frog, just before he loses his tail, is very like a little -newt. - -“Young newts are tadpoles too, but they differ very much from frog -tadpoles. Newt tadpoles live in the pond for more than a year. They have -feathery outside gills on all that time. Their _fore_ feet are formed -first. If you remember, our frog tadpoles got their hind legs first. - -“Long ago people believed all sorts of absurd things about the poor, -harmless newt. They were afraid to touch it. Every newt found was killed -at once, for it was thought to have a sting and poison bag. Even at the -present day many people believe that newts and toads are dangerous -animals.” - -“How can you tell a toad from a frog, Uncle George,” Tom asked. - -“They are very different from each other, both in shape and in their -ways of living. The toad is a fat, clumsy animal. His skin is dull and -warty. He does not hop, but crawls or walks lazily along. - -“He lives upon flying insects, which he catches with his curious long -tongue. He gets very fat during summer and autumn. - -“Before winter comes on, he looks out a snug hole under a root or stone. -Here he sleeps the whole winter through. - -“In spring he wakes up, lean and hungry, and betakes himself to the -pond. - -“The eggs of the toad are laid in the water in long strings, each like a -double row of beads. They hang gracefully upon the water weeds, and look -very pretty. - -“The toad tadpoles are very like those of the frog. They go through the -same changes. - -“The toad also casts his skin, but he does not throw it away like the -newt. He takes his old, cast-off skin, rolls it up into a neat little -ball, and _swallows it_. - -“The frog’s body is more slender. His skin is slippery. It is not dull -and dingy like that of the toad. It is of a bright greenish yellow -colour, marked with black spots of different sizes. - -[Illustration: 1. Frog. 2. Toad. 3. Frog catching a Fly with its tongue.] - -“The frog can change his colour from light to dark. He has long hind -legs which enable him to hop very high on land and to swim very fast in -the pool. - -“He likes the long, damp grass, where he catches flies, beetles, and -slugs. - -“He sleeps through the winter, buried in the mud at the bottom of the -still pool. - -“Like the toad, the frog catches his prey by means of a long, sticky -tongue, which darts out of his mouth whenever an unlucky insect comes -within reach. - -“His tongue is fixed to the floor of his mouth just at his lower lip. It -is forked at the end. When not in use, it lies folded back inside his -mouth and points down his throat.” - - - Exercises on Lesson X. - - 1. Where are frogs, newts, and toads in winter-time? - 2. How could you tell a toad from a frog? - 3. What is the difference between young newts (tadpoles) and young - frogs (tadpoles)? - 4. Write the life of a frog (or of a toad) as if told by the creature - itself. - - - - - XI.—UNDERGROUND STEMS. - - -Uncle George and his three young pupils had been to the woods. After tea -he opened the metal box which he carried, slung by a strap over his -shoulder, whenever he went out rambling. - -This box had in it a pond-net and a couple of wide bottles. To-night it -was half filled with plants. - -Before laying them on the table, Uncle George washed the soil from their -roots at the tap. - -“Now then,” he said, “let me see how much you remember of our lesson in -the woods. I will begin with Dolly”—and Uncle George held up a lovely -white flower. - -“That,” said little Dolly, “is the _wooden enemy_!” - -Uncle George laughed loudly, and so did the two boys. Dolly laughed -too—she did not quite know why. She was a merry little girl, who laughed -whenever she got the chance. - -“You mean _wood anemone_, dear, don’t you?” said Uncle George, as he -stroked her pretty curly hair. - -“Yes, I _mean_ that, Uncle George; but I can’t say it properly,” said -Dolly, still laughing. - -“Oh yes, you can if you try—wood a-nem´-o-ne. It is easily pronounced. -Now Frank, it is your turn. What is this one with the great number of -yellow petals, the spotted heart-shaped leaves, and the funny fat -roots?” - -“The pilewort, or lesser celandine,” answered Frank. - -“Quite right! Now, Tom, here is one for you. This plant, you see, has -broad kidney-shaped leaves with crimped edges, large yellow flowers, and -a coarse round hollow stem. We found it, if you remember, growing in the -mud at the edge of the brook.” - - [Illustration: Marsh Marigold.] - -“It is the marsh marigold,” said Tom. - -“Very good! Now this one?” - -As he held it up all three answered at once—“The primrose!” - -“We found this one also growing at the edge of the brook.” As he spoke, -Uncle George held out a very pretty plant. Its flowers were of a pale -pinkish blue colour. They were shaped like the flowers of the -wallflower, but were smaller. The flowers were borne up upon a long -stalk which sprang from a rosette of pretty little leaves. - -“It is the _lady’s smock_,” said Dolly; “I remembered that one because -it is so pretty.” - -“Well done, Dolly!” said her uncle proudly. “Now, I think we have quite -enough to go on with. Let us take these up one by one and examine and -draw parts of them. First take the wood anemone. What do you call this?” - -Uncle George pointed to the stout part of the plant that had been in the -ground. - -“The root,” said Frank. - -“No, Frank!” his uncle replied. “But that is what I thought you would -say. Now, tell us why you think it is the root.” - -“Because it grows under ground.” - -“But roots do not have buds upon them, Frank: and see! flower-stalk and -leaf-stalk spring from it, while fibrous, or string like, roots hang -down from it.” - -“It must be a stem, then,” Frank ventured. - -“It _is_ the stem,” said his uncle. “We have already seen that the -creeping crowfoot and ground ivy have stems that creep along on the -surface of the ground. - -“Many plants have stems which creep along under ground. This is an -underground stem; and this is another.” Here he pointed to the primrose. - -“Why, I always thought that that pink thing was the root of the -primrose,” said Frank; “but I see now that it is really more like a -stem. It has marks upon it like scars.” - - [Illustration: Plants with Underground Stems] - - [Illustration] - - 1. Caterpillar, Pupa, and perfect Insect of Tiger Moth - 2. Caterpillar, Pupa, and perfect Insect of Magpie Moth - 3. White (Cabbage) Butterfly, Male and Female, with Caterpillar and - Pupa - -“These are marks where leaves once grew upon it,” his uncle remarked. -“Notice that the primrose leaves form a rosette on the top of this -underground stem.” - -“Is there any reason for these plants having their stems under ground?” -Tom asked. - -“There is a reason for everything in nature, my boy. Can’t you see any -reason for this yourself?” - -“I see one, I think,” said Frank; “it enables the plant to creep out to -new soil.” - -“That is one very good reason, Frank. Now, why should it seek other -soil?” - -“For food!” - -“That is right, Frank. Those plants which have underground stems seem to -die down every autumn; but they are alive all the time under ground, -safe from the frosts and bitter winds which kill tender plants. And they -peep up in a new place in spring. - - [Illustration: Anemone.] - -“Now I want you to tell me why these underground stems are swollen out -so. It cannot be for strength, for creeping stems don’t require to be -strong. - -“Fetch me a raw potato, Tom, please! - -“Now,” Uncle George continued, “tell me what this potato is.” - -“It is an underground stem,” said Frank. - -“Yes! Why is it swollen? What do we use the potato for?” - -“For food. Oh, I know,” said Frank, “it is a food store.” - - [Illustration: Primrose.] - - [Illustration: Pilewort, showing Roots.] - -“Of course,” said his uncle. “It is a supply of food gathered up this -year for next year’s plant. Look at the roots of the lesser celandine. I -see Tom has drawn them. They are swollen. Are they roots, or underground -stems?” - -“They have neither leaf marks on them, nor buds,” said Frank, “I think -they must be roots.” - -“They _are_ roots,” said Uncle George, “but they are food supplies all -the same. - -“There are other underground stems that grow quickly. Good examples of -these are mint, couch grass, and sand sedge. The underground stems of -these plants grow so fast that they are always occupying new ground. -They have therefore no need to store up a food supply like their slower -growing neighbours the primrose, potato, anemone, iris, and many -others.” - - - Exercises on Lesson XI. - - 1. Dig up a primrose plant, and make a rough sketch showing - underground stem, roots, and leaves. - 2. An underground stem may be of use to a plant in three different - ways. Can you name them? - 3. There are two distinct kinds of underground stems—those that grow - quickly and those that grow slowly. Name three of each kind, - and tell how they differ in shape. - 4. Compare a potato with a horse-chestnut twig. Supposing your twig to - be swollen out with plant-food, what parts of it do the “eyes” - of the potato represent? What do the {scars/marks} near the - “eyes” represent? - - - - - XII.—CATERPILLARS. - - -“We found these upon the dead-nettle.” As he spoke, Frank opened a small -cardboard box and showed his uncle half a dozen large, hairy -caterpillars. - - [Illustration: Larva Cage.] - -“Splendid,” said Uncle George. “We will just put these into the cage.” - -Uncle George, who was a very good carpenter, had of late been busy in -his spare time making a box or cage for keeping caterpillars in. He -called it a _larva cage_. - -It was a curious looking thing, something like a small meat-safe. Three -sides and the top of it were covered with gauze. The fourth side was a -large pane of glass. The gauze-covered side opposite to this opened as a -door. - -It was divided into an upper and a lower part by a shelf in the middle, -and, by sliding in two pieces of wood, it could be divided into four -tiny rooms. - -Now that it was finished, Uncle George wanted to get it stocked, and his -two nephews wanted it stocked too. - -“Do you want any more of these woolly caterpillars?” Frank asked. - -“No, Frank, but you can bring me in some more of a different kind. Or, -better still, let us go out into the garden now and see if we can find -any there.” - -The gardener beamed with joy when Uncle George told him what they had -come to the garden for. - -“Caterpillars?” he said. “I wish you would take them all, sir. They are -the worst vermin in the garden. Last year they left scarcely a leaf on -my currant bushes.” - -Our three friends went straight to the currant bushes. Here they found a -good many pretty little caterpillars of a creamy colour, richly striped -with orange, and dotted over with black spots. These, their uncle -informed them, were the caterpillars or _larvæ_ of the magpie moth. - -On the cabbages they found several caterpillars of the large white -butterfly. These were bluish green in colour, with three bold yellow -stripes running along the whole length of their bodies. - -“What are these, Uncle George?” Tom asked, as he turned up a cabbage -leaf and pointed to several white patches on its under side. The leaf -next it was spotted just like it. - -“Oh, Tom, how lucky we are! These are the eggs of the large white -butterfly. Now we shall be able to follow up the whole life of this -insect, and a wonderful life it is. Let us go right in and examine them. -Take some cabbage leaves and some currant leaves to feed the hungry -caterpillars with.” - -“Our larva cage is now quite full,” said Uncle George, when he had put -the caterpillars in. - -“Why do you not put them into the same room, Uncle George?” - -“There are two reasons for that, Frank. First, they live upon different -kinds of food. The hairy caterpillar, or ‘woolly bear,’ as boys call it, -feeds upon nettles, the cabbage caterpillar prefers cabbage leaves, -while the currant caterpillar will only eat currant leaves. - - [Illustration] - - 1. Caterpillar and Eggs of Cabbage Butterfly. - 2. Egg magnified. - -“Second, the woolly bear will sometimes eat up his smooth-skinned -friends. Now, get your glasses and have a peep at the beautiful eggs of -the ‘large white’ or ‘cabbage’ butterfly.” - -“Why, they are not at all like eggs,” said Frank, as he closely looked -at them with his glass. - -“What are they like, Frank?” - -“They are like little pieces of carved ivory all shaped alike,” Frank -replied. - -“Yes, but that does not give us a very clear idea of their shape,” -observed his uncle. “Come on, Tom.” - -“They are like little Indian clubs with the handles cut off, only they -are beautifully marked with long, slender ridges and cross bars.” - -“That is really a very good account of them, Tom. They are arranged in -patches. Count and let me know how many eggs are in each bunch.” - -The boys counted all the groups of eggs, and found that there were eight -eggs in some, nine in others, but that most of them contained ten or -more. - -“Now, how many egg patches are there?” asked Uncle George. - -“There are seven patches on my leaf,” said Frank. - -“And ten on mine,” added Tom. - -“That is about one hundred and fifty eggs altogether,” said Uncle -George. - -“Has each of these bunches of eggs been laid by one butterfly?” asked -Frank. - -“It is more than probable that one butterfly laid the whole lot,” his -uncle replied; “for the white butterfly lays, as a rule, over two -hundred eggs.” - -“That is about as many eggs as a hen lays in a year,” said Frank. - -“Yes,” said Uncle George, “a good hen and a white butterfly lay about -the same number of eggs in a year; but the butterfly lays all her eggs -in one day. - -“After laying her eggs, she dies. That is perhaps why she always lays -them on the kind of plant which the young caterpillars can feed upon -when they hatch out. - -“Let us look at the caterpillars now. We need not take them out, as we -can easily see them through the glass side of the cage. - -“Notice that the body of the cabbage caterpillar consists of a round, -dark coloured head and a number of broad, ring-like divisions. How many -of these divisions are there?” - -“Twelve,” said Frank, after counting carefully. - -“Right!” said his uncle. “Now, about legs—how many are there?” - -“There are three pairs of legs on the first three divisions of its body, -and a pair of shorter and stouter legs on each of the sixth, seventh, -eighth, and ninth divisions, making seven pairs of legs altogether,” -Frank answered. - - [Illustration: Caterpillars of Magpie Moth.] - -“That is quite correct, Frank, and I am glad you noticed the difference -between the first three pairs and the others. The first three pairs are -the creature’s real legs. The others are false or temporary legs.” - -“There is a row of black spots on the yellow band along its side,” -observed Tom. - -“These are its breathing-holes, Tom. We breathe by our lungs only, but -caterpillars and insects have breathing-tubes all over their bodies.” - -“The woolly bear and the cabbage caterpillar move about in the same -way,” said Frank. “But look at those currant caterpillars, Uncle George, -what a funny way they have of getting along!” - -“These belong to a kind of caterpillars known as ‘loopers,’” said his -uncle. “They move about by looping up their bodies in this strange -manner.” - -“I do not like to handle those hairy caterpillars,” Tom remarked. “Why -are they covered with those nasty long hairs?” - -“You have just given the reason, Tom. You don’t like to touch them on -account of these hairs; neither do animals. No bird will eat one of -these. If he does, he will never eat another. - -“Notice how they coil up like a hedgehog when they are touched. This -makes them more difficult to swallow. Just imagine how a bird would feel -with one of these ticklish customers stuck in his throat, eh? - -“Now, boys, make a sketch of one of the tiny eggs, also one of the big -cabbage caterpillar, and then we will go out and have a game of cricket -on the lawn.” - - - Exercises on Lesson XII. - - 1. Where would you look for the eggs of the white butterfly? Why are - they always laid upon the same kind of plant, and why _under_ - the leaf? - 2. Explain how caterpillars breathe. - 3. Take any caterpillars you find. Observe the leaves you find them - feeding upon. Give them fresh leaves every day, and watch how - they grow. - 4. Why has the “woolly bear” caterpillar got a hairy coat? What does - he usually feed upon? - - - - - XIII.—THE WHITE BUTTERFLY. - - -Uncle George had to go from home for a week, and his two nephews went -part of the way to the railway station with him. - -As they were about to take a short cut through the wood, Uncle George -went up to a huge beech tree. He looked very closely at its grey trunk -for a time, then stepping back from it about three yards, exclaimed:— - -“Come here boys! Stand beside me, look closely at this tree, and tell me -if you see any strange objects sticking to the bark.” - -After staring at it for some time, they both declared that they could -see nothing upon it. - -“Go nearer—nearer still! Now, do you see anything?” - -The boys shook their heads. - -“Go quite close up to the trunk and examine it,” said Uncle George. - -“Oh,” said Frank suddenly, “I see queer things like grubs, coloured -almost exactly like the bark. Some of them are lighter in colour.” - -“Look carefully at those lighter ones, and you will find that they are -just empty cases.” - -“So they are,” said Frank, as he touched one with his finger and saw it -crush up. - -“Notice how they are fixed to the bark!” said Uncle George. - -The boys watched as their uncle placed his pencil under one of the -darker coloured objects, and saw that it was slung up to the tree by a -loose silken girdle round its middle, while a tuft of fine threads -fastened the lower end to the bark. - -Suddenly, as if it were annoyed at being touched by the pencil, the -lower half of the object moved from side to side with rapid jerks. - -“Why, it is alive,” said Tom. - -“Yes, of course it is,” said his uncle. “This is another lucky find.” - -“What are they?” Frank asked. - -“Can’t you guess, Frank? Don’t you remember my telling you that all the -insects were asleep in their cases during winter. - -“Each of these darker coloured cases contains a white butterfly. They -have been here all winter, and they are just about to hatch out.” - -“How do you know that, Uncle George?” - -“I know it because the empty cases tell me that some of the butterflies -have just hatched out. This is what your cabbage caterpillar becomes -after he is tired of feeding. - -“You have now seen three different stages of the life of this insect. -First, the curious eggs laid on the under side of the cabbage leaf; next -the greedy caterpillar; and now, the chrysalis or _pupa_ stage. - -“The caterpillar goes to sleep in autumn as a hard-cased chrysalis, and -wakes up in spring a beautiful butterfly.” - -“How strange,” said Frank. “And will our caterpillars remain -caterpillars until autumn, and then tuck themselves up like this and go -to sleep for the winter.” - -“No, Frank! our caterpillars will go into the chrysalis state in a week -or so, and hatch out as butterflies in August. These August butterflies -will lay eggs. The caterpillars from these eggs will turn into _pupæ_ in -September. - -“These September pupæ will supply the white butterflies of next spring -and summer. Put some of these into your box. Watch then carefully, and -you may be lucky enough to see the white butterfly coming out of his -winter case.” - -“I cannot understand,” said Tom, “how a big white butterfly can be -inside so small a case. It must be very tightly wrapped up.” - -“So it is, as you will see,” said Uncle George. “Good-bye, boys! and -mind, when I come back, I shall expect to see notes and sketches of all -that has taken place in the larva cage during my absence.” - - * * * * * * * * - -“Won’t you let your uncle take his dinner first,” said Frank’s mother, -as she hung Uncle George’s overcoat up in the hall. - -“No, mother! he must come at once,” said the excited Frank. “There’s a -butterfly just coming out.” - -“Oh, I must come and see that,” said Uncle George; and he allowed his -eager nephews to drag him towards the larva cage. - -By the time they got to the cage the butterfly had hatched, but they -were in time to see it unfurl its wings. The wings were crumpled and -twisted, but the creature slowly straightened them out to dry in the -sun. - -“We saw it burst its case,” said Tom. “First a small slit appeared at -the head end. This slit grew larger. Then the butterfly’s head and feet -appeared. It squeezed its way and was just half way out, with its wings -crumpled round it, when you arrived.” - -“I arrived just a minute too late, then,” said his uncle. - - [Illustration: White or Cabbage Butterfly and Pupa.] - -“Oh, and the eggs have hatched too,” said Tom. “Look at them now, Uncle -George!” - -His uncle looked, and saw that the white patches of eggs had given place -to larger patches of little active, dark coloured maggots. - -“We want to know what has become of the lovely carved shells of the -eggs,” said Tom. - -“They have been eaten up,” his uncle replied. “From the moment a -caterpillar is born he does nothing but eat—eat—eat. He begins by eating -the shell of the egg he comes out of. - -“For the first week of their lives these tiny caterpillars feed together -in small bands, and they grow so fast you can almost fancy you see them -growing. After they have grown to a certain size, each caterpillar -starts out for himself.” - -“Do you see the three butterflies that have hatched out?” asked Tom. - -“Yes, I see them. There are two females and one male,” said Uncle -George. - -“How can you tell males from females?” asked Frank. - -“Oh, that is easy enough,” Uncle George replied. “The females are -larger, and have two big black spots on each of their front wings. But I -only see eight of the large cabbage caterpillars. We put in twelve, I -think.” - -“Look!” said Frank, pointing to the roof of the cage. - -“Ah, yes, I see them. Two of them have passed into the pupæ stage, and -are slung up by their silken belts to the wall of the cage. - -“The other two are spinning silken belts round the middle of their -bodies, if they have not already done so. After this belt is finished -they will slowly slip their useless green skins off, and finally get rid -of them by sharply jerking the tail end of their pupa cases.” - -“Yes, we watched those other two do that,” said Tom. - -“Notice,” continued Uncle George, “that all your big cabbage -caterpillars have lost their yellow stripes and are now of a bluish -green colour. They have stopped feeding, and are now dull and sleepy. -This indicates that they are about to enter the pupa stage.” - -“But look at the currant and the hairy caterpillars, uncle,” said Frank. - -“My dear boy,” said Frank’s mother, “Uncle George must really have food -and rest after his long journey. He will hear about the other -caterpillars some other time.” - - - Exercises on Lesson XIII. - - 1. Explain why the pupæ of white butterflies are coloured like the - objects they are attached to. - 2. Write the life of a white butterfly, and illustrate your - description with sketches of caterpillar, pupa, and butterfly. - 3. The life of an insect is divided into four distinct stages. Name - them. Which is the longest stage in the case of the white - butterfly? - 4. Describe, as you have observed it, the behaviour of a caterpillar - as it passes from the larva to the chrysalis form. - - - - - XIV.—THE TOILING CADDIS. - - -“Look here, boys,” said Uncle George, “you have been paying nearly all -your attention to the larva cage during my absence, and have forgotten -the caddis worms.” - - [Illustration] - - 1. Caddis Cases. - 2. Larva out of Case. - 3. Pupa. - 4. Caddis Fly. - -Uncle George made believe to be cross. - -“We changed the water every two days,” said Frank. - -“Yes, I know. But you have not reported any changes in the creatures -themselves. What has been going on in the larva cage has also been going -on here in the water, for caddis worms are simply water-caterpillars. -You nearly missed something of very great interest.” - -Uncle George laid three saucers on the table, and continued:— - -“We are going to look into the life of the caddis fly to-day; but before -I take them out of the water, I want you to tell me what you have noted -about them up to now.” - -“They are always climbing up the water weeds,” said Frank. - -“They are always adding to their cases,” said Tom. - -“Some of them have died,” said Frank. - -“What?” said his uncle. “Do you mean these at the bottom of the tank? -These are not dead, they are only asleep. Put your hand in, and take -some of these out.” - -“Their cases are stuck to the pond weeds and to each other,” said Frank, -as he lifted a few out, and placed them in a saucer. - -“Ah, I have it, Uncle George! They have gone into the pupa state. Is -that not so?” - -Uncle George nodded. - -“Look!” exclaimed Tom. “There are things like earwigs floating on the -water.” - -“Never mind these just now, Tom,” said his uncle. “I am coming to them -by and by. Observe the wonderful cases which the caddis worms have made -for themselves. - -“Here is one whose case, when we found him, was made of neatly cut -pieces of water rush. He has almost doubled the length of his case since -then; for see, the front half is made of cut stalks of water weed neatly -arranged.” - -“He has got a fine collar of green pieces round his neck,” Frank -observed. - -“Why are they always adding to the length of their cases?” asked Tom. - -“Because they are always growing,” said Frank. - -“That is the reason,” said Uncle George; “and they grow so fast that -they have actually to work hard at building. - -“Observe those that make their cases out of tiny shells and stones. They -have made free use of the coloured beads and small pieces of coal which -we put in.” - -“How do they manage to stick these things together?” asked Tom. - -“A caddis worm is a busy creature,” his uncle replied. “He does two -things besides eating and growing. With those strong pincers, which you -see at his head, he saws off pieces of weed. - -“Near his mouth he has got a kind of loom for spinning silk. These -pieces are stuck together with silk, which is a gluey substance when it -first comes from the creature’s body. - -“These rough cases are lined with silk.” - -“Why does he have to make a house for himself, and carry it about with -him?” said Frank. - -In answer to this, his uncle took out a few of the active caddis worms, -and placed them in a saucer with water. He held one up. - -“You see,” he said, “his case is open at both ends. Now, if I tried to -get him out from the front, I should never manage it. This is the way to -get him out.” - -As he spoke, Uncle George pushed the head of a pin into the tail end of -the case, and the creature scrambled out at once. - -“It is too bad turning you out of your cosy room, Mr Caddis,” Uncle -George observed; “but you’ll go back again as soon as you get the -chance, won’t you? I want my nephews to understand why you work so very -hard. - -“Now, Frank, you can answer your own question, I think—‘Why does the -caddis worm build a house?’” - -“Because he has a soft body.” - -“Quite right. But why is he forced to protect his body?” - -“Fishes would eat him.” - -“Right again, Frank. If trout could speak, they might tell you that the -sweetest morsel in the stream is the caddis worm. Now, take your lens, -please, and tell me something about him.” - -“His body is divided into rings, and there are the same number of them -as we found in the caterpillar.” - -“Very good, Frank. Now give Tom a chance.” - -“His head and the first three divisions of his body are hard cased. They -are black and yellow in colour.” - -“He has six legs,” said Frank, “and they are attached to the first three -divisions of his body.” - -“What about the last division of his body?” Uncle George asked. - -“Oh, how funny!” said Frank. “It is divided into two large things like -horns.” - -“These,” said his uncle, “are the hooks by which he fixes himself so -firmly in his case.” - -“And what are all these curious big bristles for?” asked Tom. “They are -all over his body.” - -“These are his breathing organs,” Uncle George answered. “The -caterpillar, if you remember, had breathing-holes along the sides of his -body. By moving his long body, the caddis worm causes a constant current -of water to pass through his dwelling. - -“Look at the fourth segment of his body. How does it differ from the -others?” - -“It is the broadest segment,” said Frank, “and there is a stout rounded -thing in the middle of it.” - -“Yes,” his uncle replied, “and if we can get him turned on his back we -shall see two more of these stout outgrowths below, one on each side of -the same segment. This is really very clever. By it the animal keeps -himself in the middle, so that the current of water must flow all around -him. - -“Now, look at the case of a sleeping caddis.” - -“The front of the case is closed,” said Frank. - -“How is it closed, Frank?” - -“Well, there is a network of threads over it,” answered Frank. - -“Yes; you see a caddis worm cannot do without fresh water, even when he -is asleep; so, before going to sleep, he builds a grating over the -entrance. - -“When he wakes up, he has quite a new shape altogether. And this brings -us to those things which Tom said were like ‘earwigs.’ There are five of -them floating on the water, and two of these are dead. If you look, you -will find five empty caddis cases in the tank.” - -“How does he get out of the case?” inquired Tom. - -“Easily enough. Look at the strong pair of pincers he has got for -cutting his way through the silken grating with. No longer burdened with -his heavy case, he floats up to the surface. He crawls up out of the -water into the air. - -“If there are no rushes or floating leaves about, he is sure to drown; -for your caddis is no longer a water insect, but a fly inside a thin -skin. - -“Now, boys, I am going to show you something wonderful.” - -Uncle George then took out the three living pupæ that were floating on -the water, and placed them on the table. The boys watched them for a -long time. - -They were beginning to get impatient, when suddenly the skin of one of -the creatures burst along the back, and a lovely little fly, with brown, -gauzy wings and long feelers, came out. - -After airing its wings for about a minute, it flew to the window. The -other two acted in just the same way. - -“Now, my dear boys, I think you know something about the life of the -caddis fly. For a whole year of his life he is a crawling water insect, -then, for about a single day, he is a lively fly.” - -“How does the caddis larva first get into the water?” asked Frank. - -“As an egg, Frank. The female caddis fly lays her eggs in the water. She -sometimes even crawls down right into the water to lay them. - -“A tiny caddis grub, no bigger than this pin-head, comes out of each -egg. As soon as he hatches out, he begins to build his case, to eat, and -to grow; and from the moment of his birth up to the closing up of his -tube, he is scarcely a moment idle.” - - - Exercises on Lesson XIV. - - 1. Turn a caddis worm out of his case in the way described in the - lesson. Place the insect in a saucer half filled with water, - and make a rough sketch of it. - 2. When you have finished your sketch, place the empty caddis case in - the saucer, and watch how the creature gets into it. - 3. Make two columns by drawing a line down the centre of a page of - your note-book. In the first column, describe the structure of - the caddis larva and fly; in the second, that of the cabbage - caterpillar and butterfly. Compare them. - 4. In the same way describe the _mode of life_ of the caddis fly - (Column 1), and of the white butterfly (Column 2). - - - - - APPENDIX. - HINTS TO TEACHERS. - - -BUDS.—Twigs of beech, horse-chestnut, lilac, and hawthorn ought to be -taken in in December and placed in water. They should have as much -warmth and light as possible. - -Willow twigs (for catkins) might also be forced in this way. - -SEEDS.—Seeds should be soaked for twenty-four hours and then sown in -sawdust in boxes 4 inches deep. They should be sown in presence of the -pupils. - -In winter these boxes should be kept on the hot pipes in school. The -sawdust should not be allowed to get dry, neither should it be deluged -with water, but kept evenly moist if possible. - -Be careful to use water _not colder than the temperature of the room_ in -which the seeds are grown. Nothing checks growth more effectively than -chilling with icy-cold water. It is a good plan to keep the watering-pan -full of water near the hot pipes, refilling it always after use. - -Seeds germinate best in the dark, but whenever the plumule shows above -the sawdust, the box containing them should be placed in the light. -Sufficient seeds should be sown at one time to supply a plant to each -pupil once a week for at least four weeks. A number of seeds or plants -should be dug up once a week and sketched by the children. Each sketch -should be compared with that of the previous week, and all changes duly -noted down. - -The best seeds to grow are:—Broad bean, common or “large white” maize, -runner bean (“Painted Lady”), French bean, kitchen pea (“Stratagem”), -and white mustard. - -A few seeds of white mustard should be sprinkled on a small piece of -moist blotting-paper, and covered over by a small glass bell-jar or an -inverted tumbler. In less than a week the root-hairs may be seen. - -If hot-water pipes are available, the following seeds should be grown, -as their germination is interesting:—date stones, walnuts, chestnuts, -almonds, cherry stones, orange pips, seeds of cucumber and sunflower. - -After maize and bean (or pea) plants have reached the height of 5 -inches, they should be transferred to bottles of tap water—as described -at the end of Lesson VI.—and the continuous growth sketched and noted -from week to week. - -POND AND DITCH HUNTING.—Make a ring of stout brass wire about 8 or 10 -inches in diameter, and to this attach a bag net made of mosquito -netting not more than 9 inches deep. In making the wire ring, leave -attached to it about 5 inches of the twisted ends of the wire. Such a -net as this can be easily carried and quickly attached to the end of a -walking-stick by means of a piece of string. - -The best “finds” are often made by sweeping the net under banks and -among pond weeds. - -FROG SPAWN.—Frog spawn is abundant in ponds and ditches everywhere in -March. It should be kept immersed in as much water as possible in a -large vessel, preferably of glass. Whenever the water show signs of -fouling, it should be changed; but, as changing water containing -tadpoles is somewhat difficult, the fewer changes the better. - -As in the case of seed growing, the development of the tadpole should be -learnt by weekly sketches and notes. - -NEWTS.—Newts can be taken with the gauze-net or in the following -way:—Tie a piece of small worm on to the end of a cotton thread fastened -to the end of a willow or hazel switch. Cast into the part of the pond -where the newts are, and await results. - -Live newts, fish, frog spawn, etc., may be obtained from Messrs Willson, -Live Stock Providers, 37 New Oxford Street, London; Thomas Bolton, 25 -Balsall Heath Road, Birmingham, and other dealers. Newts should be fed -once a day on pieces of small worms. - -CATERPILLARS.—Caterpillars and pupæ, if not obtainable in local woods, -fields, and gardens, can be had from Messrs Watkins & Doncaster, 36 -Strand, London, and others. - -CADDIS LARVÆ.—Caddis worms are to be found in almost every stream, pond, -and ditch. Most of them are vegetable feeders: therefore a plentiful -supply of water weeds should be placed in their tank. Carnivorous caddis -worms may be fed on small pieces of raw meat. (See Stickle-backs.) - -STICKLE-BACKS.—Stickle-backs are common in canals and streams. They are -easily caught with the net. They should be fed once a day on grated -biscuit, and occasionally on raw meat. The meat should be chopped very -fine, and then pressed through a piece of perforated zinc. Very little -food suffices. If too much is put in, the residue should be removed by -means of a glass tube, as described in Lesson IX., p. 56. If no green -water plants are obtainable, the water should be changed at least every -second day by means of a siphon. Once a month is quite often enough if -sufficient green plants are kept in the tank and decaying matter -carefully removed. Do not over-stock—few fishes and much water is the -rule. - -WATER PLANTS.—It is best to take the water plants which are found -growing locally. The following are fairly common:—_Elodea canadensis_, -water millfoil; _Potamogeton_ (_nitens_, _crispus_, or _filiformis_), -“water soldier”; _Vallisneria spiralis_, _Chara_, _Nitella_, water -star-wort and watercress. A good selection of excellent aquarium plants -are advertised at a cheap rate by the Solway Fishery Co., Dumfries. -Water plants, if not rooted in the tank, should be renewed occasionally. - -LARVÆ CAGE.—Take four square pieces (about 1½ inches square) of wood, -each a foot long, and nail or screw them upright into the four corners -of a square piece of ¾-inch deal measuring a foot each way. Stretch -mosquito netting over sides, end, and top, arranging that one side can -be opened. This can be managed by fastening the last fold of netting to -one of the upright posts by three drawing-pins. Fresh leaves should be -supplied daily. For those caterpillars which pupate in the soil, a -shallow earthenware flower-pot—known in the trade as a “seed-pan”—should -be supplied. The seed-pan should be filled with soil, the pupæ placed on -the surface, and a layer of moss placed over them. Once a week the moss -should be dipped in water, squeezed almost dry, and replaced on the -pupæ. - -AQUARIUM.—Procure from a local florist or seedsman what is known as a -“propagating bell.” These cost from 1s. up to 2s. 6d. A block of wood 12 -inches square and 4 or 5 inches in thickness is also required. Bore a -hole about 2 inches in diameter right through the centre of the block, -to hold the knob of the bell. Then, with a gouge chisel, make a -saucer-shaped hollow round the hole, to roughly fit the rounded end of -the bell. Before fitting the bell into the block, interpose a thin layer -of moss. - -This makes an excellent aquarium—elegant and serviceable. Keep the -aquarium in a window, but shade it from bright sunlight. - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes - - ---Retained publication information from the printed exemplar (this eBook - is in the public domain in the country of publication.) - ---Only in the text versions, delimited italicized text with - _underscores_. - ---Silently corrected several typos. - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The 'Look About You' Nature Study -Books, Book 3 (of 7), by Thomas W. 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Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - diff --git a/old/50237-0.zip b/old/50237-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 2bcfa3d..0000000 --- a/old/50237-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/50237-8.txt b/old/50237-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 9cbeb87..0000000 --- a/old/50237-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2748 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The 'Look About You' Nature Study Books, -Book 3 (of 7), by Thomas W. Hoare - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The 'Look About You' Nature Study Books, Book 3 (of 7) - Birds, Seed Eaters and Insect Eaters, A Baby Plant, Uncle - George's Tank, Tadpoles, Frogs - -Author: Thomas W. Hoare - -Release Date: October 16, 2015 [EBook #50237] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LOOK ABOUT YOU NATURE STUDY, VOL 3 *** - - - - -Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Stephen Hutchson, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - [Illustration: Birds in Winter] - - - - - The - "LOOK ABOUT YOU" - Nature Study Books - - - BY - THOMAS W. HOARE - TEACHER OF NATURE STUDY - to the Falkirk School Board and Stirlingshire County Council - - BOOK III. - - [Illustration: Publisher's Logo] - - LONDON: T. C. & E. C. JACK - 16 HENRIETTA STREET, W.C. - AND EDINBURGH - - _Printed by M'Farlane & Erskine, Edinburgh._ - - - - - PREFACE. - - -This little book should be used as a simple guide to the practical study -of Nature rather than as a mere reader. - -Every lesson herein set down has, during the author's many years' -experience in teaching Nature Study, been taught by observation and -practice again and again; and each time with satisfactory result. The -materials required for most of the lessons--whether they be obtained -from the naturalist-dealer or from the nearest hedge, ditch, or -pond--are within everybody's reach. - -There is nothing that appeals to the heart of the ordinary child like -_living things_, be they animal or vegetable, and there is no branch of -education at the present day that bears, in the young mind, such -excellent fruit as the study of the simple, living things around us. - -Your child is nothing if not curious. He wants to understand everything -that lives and moves and has its being in his bright little world. - -Nature Study involves so many ingenious little deductions, that the -reasoning powers are almost constantly employed, and intelligence grows -proportionately. The child's powers of observation are stimulated, and -his memory is cultivated in the way most pleasing to his inquiring -nature. By dissecting seeds, bulbs, buds, and flowers, his hand is -trained, and methods expeditious and exact are inculcated. By drawing -his specimens, no matter how roughly or rapidly, his eye is trained more -thoroughly than any amount of enforced copying of stiff, uninteresting -models of prisms, cones, etc., ever could train it. - -The love of flowers and animals is one of the most commendable traits in -the disposition of the wondering child, and ought to be encouraged above -all others. - -It is the author's fondest and most sanguine hope that the working out -of the exercises, of which this booklet is mainly composed, may prove -much more of a joy than a task, and that the practical knowledge gained -thereby may tempt his little readers to study further the great book of -Nature, whose broad pages are ever open to us, and whose silent answers -to our manifold questions are never very difficult to read. - - T. W. H. - - - - - CONTENTS - - -LESSON PAGE - I. Birds in Winter 7 - II. Seed-Eaters and Insect-Eaters 12 - III. Buds 16 - IV. A Baby Plant 25 - V. How a Plant Grows 30 - VI. More about Seeds 36 - VII. The Horse Pond in Spring 44 - VIII. Uncle George's Tank 49 - IX. Tadpoles 54 - X. Frogs, Toads, and Newts 61 - XI. Underground Stems 66 - XII. Caterpillars 76 - XIII. The White Butterfly 82 - XIV. The Toiling Caddis 88 - Appendix 95 - - - - - "LOOK ABOUT YOU." - BOOK III. - - - - - I.--BIRDS IN WINTER. - - -"When we look out there, it makes us feel thankful that we have a nice -cosy room to play in and a warm fire to sit beside." - -It was Uncle George who spoke. His two nephews, Frank and Tom, stood at -the window watching the birds feeding outside, while Dolly, their little -sister, was busy with her picture-blocks on the carpet. - -"Yes, it is better to be inside in winter," said Frank, the elder boy. -"These poor little birds must have a hard time out in the cold all -night." - -"I should not mind being a bird during the rest of the year, though," -said little Tom. "It must be so jolly to be able to fly wherever you -like." - -Uncle George smiled, and said, "Birds are very happy little creatures, -Tom, but they have many enemies. Their lives are in constant danger. -They must always be on the look-out for cats, hawks, guns, and cruel -boys. Those birds that stay with us all the year round have often a hard -fight for life in winter-time. In fact, many of them starve to death. - -"Most of our birds fly to warmer countries in autumn, and come back to -us in spring. These miss the frost and snow, but a great number of them -get drowned while crossing the sea. I think, as a little boy, you are -much better off. - -"Let me see; have you put out any food for the birds this morning?" - -"Yes, Uncle George, we have done exactly as you told us," said Frank. -"Mother made a little net, which we filled with suet and scraps of meat -for the tomtits. We hung it on the ivy, quite near the window. We also -put plenty of crumbs and waste bits from the kitchen on the space you -cleared for the birds yesterday." - -"Very good," said Uncle George, "and I see your feathered friends are -busy in both places." - -He looked out and saw a crowd of birds hopping on the frozen lawn round -the well-filled dish. The little net, which hung just outside the -window, was alive with hungry tomtits. They pecked eagerly at the suet, -and chattered their thanks between every mouthful. - -"What a lot of birds we have to-day," Uncle George remarked. "Do you -know the names of them all, boys?" - -"We know those you pointed out to us yesterday," said Frank. "There is -the chaffinch, the thrush, the greenfinch, the blackbird, and the -hedge-sparrow, but I don't know that one with the bright red breast, -black velvet head, and grey wings. And there is a new one among the -tomtits. He has a very long tail, and is like a small parrot." - - [Illustration: ] - - Robin. Starling. Hedge-Sparrow. - Greenfinch. Bullfinch. Sparrow. - Chaffinch. Long-tailed Tit. Linnet. - Blackbird. Rook. Thrush. - -"Oh," said Uncle George, "the first you spoke of is the bullfinch. He is -so easily tamed that he makes a splendid pet. The hen bullfinch is there -too, I see. She has a dull brown breast, and is not quite so pretty as -her husband. The bullfinch is very fond of berries. If we could get some -hawthorn or rowan berries, we should have all the bullfinches in the -district around us. The other bird is the long-tailed tit. He is also a -very amusing little chap." - - [Illustration: Bullfinches.] - -"Why do the tomtits make such a fuss about the suet?" asked Tom. "The -bullfinches do not come near it." - -"That is because the tomtit is a flesh-eater, Tom. He lives on insects. -The bullfinch feeds on berries and seeds. He is also blamed for eating -the young buds of fruit-trees in spring-time, but I am not quite sure -that he does this." - -"Where are all the insects in winter, Uncle George?" asked Frank. - -"Well, most of them are buried deep in the ground. Some of them are -tucked up in warm cases, and hidden in the chinks of trees and walls." - -"Then why don't the birds that feed on insects search those trees and -walls for them," Frank asked. - -"So the birds do, but the sleeping insects are very hard to find. The -cases which hold them are often coloured exactly like the tree or wall -which they are fixed to; so that even the sharp eyes of a hungry bird -cannot see them." - - - Exercises on Lesson I. - - 1. Write out the names of all the wild birds you have seen. - 2. Some of these we do not see in winter. How is this? - 3. Why should we remember the birds in winter-time? - 4. Describe the robin. How does he differ from the bullfinch? - - - - - II.--SEED-EATERS AND INSECT-EATERS. - - -The snow did not go away for some days. While it lasted, Frank and Tom -watched the birds very closely. They learned many new and curious things -about them. - -The sparrows and robins had grown so tame that they would fly right up -to the window-sill, and eat the crumbs and seeds that were placed there -for them; while the tomtits paid great attention to the little net bag -that hung quite close to the window. So long as they stood back a short -distance from the window, the two boys could watch the funny tricks of -these hungry little visitors. - -Amongst other things, they learned to tell a seed-eating bird from one -that feeds on insects. - - [Illustration: Tomtits.] - -Seed-eating birds, as their uncle told them, have short, stout, hard -bills, just the thing for shelling seeds. The insect-eaters have longer -and more slender bills; while birds that live upon both seeds and -insects have bills hard enough to shell seeds and yet long and sharp -enough to pick insects out of their hiding-places. - -So many birds came to the feast, that Uncle George cleared the snow from -another part of the lawn and spread some dry ashes upon it. Upon one -patch he scattered seeds and crumbs, and on the other he placed a large -flat dish. - -In this dish were put all sorts of waste scraps from the kitchen, such -as bones, potatoes, and pieces of meat. Uncle George did this so that -the boys could tell flesh-eating birds from those that lived upon seeds. - - [Illustration: Starling.] - -The starlings came to the dish first, and fought among themselves for -the food, although there was much more than enough for them all. - -Then came a few rooks, who walked about the dish in quite a lordly way. -Every now and again one of them would seize a huge crust of bread or a -potato in his clumsy bill and fly with it a short distance away. The -starlings, thrushes, and blackbirds hopped nimbly about, picking up a -choice morsel here and there. - -The new patch was often crowded with finches of all kinds. The boys -noticed that many of the birds fed at both places. Among these were -sparrows, robins, chaffinches, thrushes, and starlings. These birds, -their uncle explained to them, fed on a mixed food of insects, seeds, -and fruits. - -It amused them very much to watch how the rooks and jackdaws always -dragged the food away from the dish, as if they were stealing it; while -now and then a blackbird would fly away with a loud chatter, as if he -had been suddenly found out whilst doing something very wrong. - -"These birds," said Uncle George, "are looked upon as enemies by farmers -and gardeners. They are scared out of our fields and gardens by every -possible means. That is what makes them steal even the food that is -given to them." - - [Illustration: Rook.] - -"But they pick the newly-sown seeds out of the ground, and steal the -fruit when it is ripe," said Frank. "That is what the gardener says." - -"If the gardener only knew how much they help him, by eating up the -grubs and beetles that damage his plants, he would not grudge them a few -seeds and berries, Frank," Uncle George replied. "The rook is one of the -farmer's best friends; and if it were not for thrushes, starlings, -blackbirds, and such insect-eating birds, our gardens would be overrun -with insects. If these insects were allowed to increase, we should not -be able to grow anything. Even the sparrow is the gardener's friend. He -eats the caterpillars that would spoil our fruit trees and bushes." - - - Exercises on Lesson II. - - 1. Why do we put out suet and scraps of meat for certain birds in - winter? - 2. How can you tell a flesh-eating from an insect-eating bird? - 3. Write down the names of all the birds which belong to the crow - family. - 4. What makes the jackdaw steal all his food? - 5. Why are jackdaws, rooks, sparrows, starlings, and blackbirds said - to be "the farmer's friends"? - - - - - III.--BUDS. - - -Uncle George and the two boys had been for a long walk. They brought -home a lot of twigs which they had cut from trees at the roadside. - -Uncle George placed some of these twigs in bottles filled with water. -These bottles were placed in the window, so that they could get plenty -of sunlight. The rest of the twigs were laid upon the table. - -"Now, boys," said Uncle George, "we are going to find out what buds are. -Here is a twig of the horse-chestnut tree, and here is one of the beech -tree. Do you notice any difference between them?" - -"Oh, yes," said Frank, "they are very different. The beech buds are -longer." - -"Anything else?" his uncle asked. - -"The horse-chestnut buds have sticky stuff all over them," said Tom. - -"Quite right," said Uncle George. "On the beech twig the buds are placed -singly on opposite sides. On the horse-chestnut twig the buds are in -pairs." - -Then Uncle George cut one of the buds through with his knife, and they -saw that a great number of thick scales were folded round a little green -thing in the centre. They saw also a mass of woolly stuff between the -scales and the little green object. - -Uncle George gave each of the boys a twig, and showed them how to take -the scales off the top bud with a large needle. The outside scales were -not easily removed. They were so sticky--they stuck to everything that -touched them, and soon the boys' fingers were covered with the sticky -stuff. As they went on with their work, they found out that the inner -scales were not sticky. At last they got all the scales off, and there -was nothing left but a tiny woolly mass. On teasing out, this woolly -bundle was found to be a little branch bearing small leaves. Every part -of it was covered with wool. - - [Illustration: Twigs of Beech and Chestnut, showing Buds.] - -"Now," said Uncle George, "you can perhaps tell me what a bud is." - -"It is just a little baby branch, snugly tucked up in a tiny blanket and -well covered over with many scale-leaves," said Frank. - -"Very good," said Uncle George. "Now tell me why it is tucked up in this -warm blanket, and perhaps Tom can tell us what the sticky stuff on the -outer scales is for." - -"I am sure I cannot tell," said Frank. - -"Just think," said his uncle kindly. "Why did you call it a _baby_ -branch? Is it because it is so small, or because it is so snugly wrapped -up? Why are babies wrapped up in soft warm clothing?" - -"Oh, I know now," said Frank, "The woolly stuff is to keep out the -winter cold." - -"And the sticky stuff on the outside," said Tom, "must be for keeping -out the rain." - -"You are both right," said Uncle George. "Buds are formed in autumn and -early winter. They are, as you have seen, very tender little things. -Frost or wet would kill them. But rolled up in soft woolly clothing, -covered in with many thick scale-leaves, and made quite waterproof by a -thick coat of the sticky stuff, they do not fear the cold. - -"If you look at your twigs again, you will find that in taking off the -scales you have left a thick ring of marks right round the twig. - -"Now, if you look down the twig, you will notice another ring of such -marks. These are the scale-marks of last year's bud. The part of the -twig in between these two ring marks is a year's growth." - -"There is a third ring on mine farther down the stem," said Frank. - -"Yes, and another farther down still," said Uncle George. "These are the -bud marks of former years. Let us measure the distance between them, for -in this way we can tell the kind of summers we have had in past years. - - [Illustration: Hedge and Trees in early Spring] - - [Illustration: Plants protected by Thorns and Prickles] - -"Last year's growth, you see, is two inches. The growth of the year -before is three inches, and the one beneath that is four and a half -inches. This tells us that there was very little sunshine during last -summer or the summer before, and that three years ago there was a warm -summer, causing much growth." - -"I see some other strange marks on the twig," said Tom. - -"Oh, you mean the horse-shoe marks. These are the scars left by the big -green leaves which fell off in autumn. You will find one of these -curious horse-shoe marks under each bud. - - [Illustration: Hawthorn Twigs.] - -"Here is a hawthorn twig. I brought it to let you see another way in -which plants protect their buds. In the hawthorn the buds usually occur -in pairs together. Between each pair of buds there is a long sharp -thorn. - -"The reason why every pair of buds is guarded in this way is very clear. -The horse-chestnut and beech have tall, stout stems, which rear up their -branches far out of the reach of grazing animals. The hawthorn is a low -growing tree. Its branches are within easy reach, and its tender buds -would be nipped off by sheep and cattle if it were not for these sharp -thorns. - -"The thorns also prevent the buds from being knocked off by anything -rubbing against the hawthorn hedge. You will notice that each thorn is -very much longer than the buds beside it. These thorns can give a very -cruel prick, as every boy knows who has tried to cut a twig from the -hawthorn hedge. - -"By and by we shall see that there are many plants which arm themselves -against animals in this way." - - - Exercises on Lesson III. - - 1. Take in twigs with buds on them in December. Place them in water, - and watch them from day to day. - 2. Select one bud, and make a drawing of it every third day from the - time it begins to open. Keep your drawings. - 3. How are buds protected? (1) from cold; (2) from animals. - 4. What causes the "horse-shoe" marks on horse-chestnut twigs? - 5. Make a drawing of a small beech twig, showing buds and leaf-scars. - - - - - IV.--A BABY PLANT. - - -"To-day," said Uncle George, "we are going to try to find out something -about seeds." And he placed upon the table a saucerful of beans which -had been soaking in water for two days. - -"First let us look at the seeds as they are when we get them from the -shop," he said, laying a handful of hard, wrinkled beans upon the table. - -"They are as hard as stones, and very much smaller than those we -soaked," said Frank. - -"Yes, that is one thing we have learned about them already. Seeds take -in water and swell greatly." As he spoke, Uncle George gave Frank, Tom, -and Dolly each a small knife and a needle mounted in a handle. He then -laid a small magnifying glass on the table. - -"Take a soaked bean and look at it well," he said. "First we will look -at the outside of it, then we will see what it has inside." - -"My bean is covered all over with a smooth skin," said Dolly. - -"And there is a long black mark on one side of it," Tom added. - -"Come on, Frank," said his uncle, "haven't you got something to say." - -"It is sort of kidney-shaped," said Frank. - -"Nothing more?" - -Frank shook his head. - -"Squeeze it," said Uncle George, "and tell me what you see." - -"Oh, there is water oozing out of a little hole at the end of the black -mark," said Frank. - -"That shows us that the seed is not quite covered by its skin," said -their uncle. "That little hole is there to allow a tiny root to grow -out. - -"Now let us remove the skin, or skins rather, for there are two of them. -Begin as far away from the black mark as you can. You see that the outer -skin is tough like leather, while the inner one is soft and silky. Now, -if you pull the skins off gently, you will find something like a stout -little root pointing towards the little hole you have already noticed. -If you look at the edge of the seed you will notice a thin line or -crack. Putting the knife into this crack, we find that the seed consists -chiefly of two large, flat, white parts or lobes, with a very small -object in between them. Let us remove one of these white masses, and -have a look at this small object with the glass." - - [Illustration: Seed of Runner Bean. - (1) outside; (2) inside; (3) baby plant, enlarged. - _a_, shoot; _b_, root; _c_, seed coat or skin; _d_, junction of - seed-leaves.] - -Each of the children had a look through the glass in turn. - -"Why," said Tom, "it is very like what we found inside the -horse-chestnut bud. I can see two tiny leaves." - -"Remove the little object on the point of your needle and look at it -again," said Uncle George. "It has got something that your little -horse-chestnut shoot did not have, I think." - -"There is a little thing like a root," said Tom. - -"It is a little plant with a very fat little root," said Frank. - -"That is just what it is," said his uncle. - -"Has every seed got a little plant inside it, Uncle George?" Dolly -asked. - -"Every seed, Dolly, no matter how small." - -Uncle George split up one of the hard seeds that had not been soaked, -and showed them a little plant of the same kind inside; but it was so -hard and brittle that he could crumble it up into powder between his -fingers. - -"And what are the two large white lobes for?" asked Frank. - -"These are the seed-leaves. They are stores of plant-food. The young -plant is fed by these until its root grows far down into the soil and -its shoot grows high up into the air--until it is old enough and strong -enough to find food for itself, in fact. - -"In the bud, the little shoot is fed by the sap of the mother-plant. -Here, in the seed, we have a baby plant wrapped up in two coats, one -thick and leathery and the other soft and warm; and, in place of a large -feeding-bottle, there are two huge masses of plant-food wrapped up with -it." - -"Why do we put seeds in the ground to make them grow?" asked Frank. - -"A seed requires three things to make it grow. These three things -are--_water_, _air_, and _warmth_. We can grow seeds without soil at all -if we give them these three things. But if either water, air, or warmth -be wanting, your seeds cannot grow." - -"That is why seeds won't grow outside in winter, then," said Frank. - -"That is the reason," his uncle answered. "In winter there is not enough -heat to make seeds grow. If you sow seeds in a pot of dry soil in -summer, and do not give them water, they will not grow." - -"I think a seed is a most wonderful thing," said Tom. - -"It is," said Uncle George, "wonderful indeed. The most wonderful thing -about it is that there is life in it--sleeping life, awaiting these -three things I have told you about. - -"Dried up, and as hard as a stone, it will keep for years; but when air, -warmth, and moisture are given it, it springs into life and becomes a -plant, which grows, produces seeds, and dies. - -"Now, we will plant the rest of the soaked beans--not in ground, for I -want to let you see that the seed-leaves contain far more food than the -tiny plant requires to feed it until it is old enough to take care of -itself. - -"We will plant these seeds in damp sawdust, from which they can get no -food. We will see that they get water, air, and warmth, but no food -except what is in the big seed-leaves." - -Uncle George then got a box filled with sawdust, and placed the beans in -it. He arranged them in different ways. Some beans he placed edgeways, -others longways, others lying on their sides. - -"I am doing this," he said, "to show you that, no matter how a seed -happens to lie in the soil, its root will always grow down and its shoot -will always grow up." - -He then covered them up with a thin layer of sawdust, and placed the box -in a warm corner of the kitchen. The boys promised to water the seeds -every day, and to watch them as they grew. - - - Exercises on Lesson IV. - - 1. Soak some seeds of broad bean (or pea) and maize (or wheat) for - twenty-four hours. Plant some in damp sawdust. - 2. What do you see when you open a bean seed? - 3. Pick off the little baby plant, and try to draw it big. - 4. Cut down through the centre (flat side) of a maize seed. Try to - make out the little seed plant and the food store. - 5. Every third day dig up a growing seed and draw it. Put the date - beneath each drawing. Keep your drawings carefully. - - - - - V.--HOW A PLANT GROWS. - - -Every day the boys watched their buds and seeds bursting into life. - -It was slow work; but, as winter passed slowly away and they were able -to go out for walks more often, they had much to amuse them. They -brought home all sorts of curious things, and soon had quite a host of -living things to watch. - - [Illustration: Four Stages in the opening of Horse-Chestnut Buds.] - -Three weeks passed before the horse-chestnut buds showed any signs of -opening. By this time they had swelled out very much. First the sticky -scales moved apart, then folded themselves backwards out of the way, and -at last fell off altogether. - -This moving apart of the scales was caused by the shoot or branch inside -the bud, which was growing rapidly. - -Before the scales fell off, it had burst its way through them. It was -now a large mass of thick leaves all folded together, and covered all -over with a sort of wool. - -Soon these thick leaves moved apart, the woolly covering came off, and -what a month ago was a little woolly body, so tiny that it had to be -picked apart with a needle, was now a large stout branch, smooth and -green, and bearing beautiful broad leaves. - -Some of the buds brought forth small clusters of little green balls. -These the boys at first thought were berries, but they afterwards found -out that they were flowers. - -After all the buds had quite opened out, they began slowly to wither. -Uncle George told them the reason of this. It was because the branch had -been cut away from the mother-tree, which drew its food from the soil -and air. - -The growing buds had used up all the sap which the cut branch contained. - -But by the time their twigs had withered, the buds outside had began to -open--for spring was now at hand. - -The hedges were becoming greener every day. The birds were heard singing -in the woods, and little green shoots were springing up everywhere under -foot. - -Frank and Tom brought home opening buds of all kinds, and watched the -hedges and trees as they walked daily to school. - -Two of the bean seeds were dug up out of the sawdust every second or -third day. In this way the boys were able to see exactly how a bean -plant grows from seed. - - [Illustration: Stages in the Germination of the Runner Bean. - In 1 and 4, inside of seed, growing baby plant is shown.] - -First the seed swells out; then the skin bursts, and the little plant in -between the two masses of plant-food begins to grow. - -The root always grows down straight. The little shoot always grows -upwards. - -After the root has grown about an inch it begins to branch; and in about -two weeks these branch branch-roots are searching the soil for food all -around the main root. - -The shoot meanwhile is growing in length and thickness. It remains -folded up until it reaches the air and light. Then its leaves open out -and turn from a creamy colour to bright green. - -One small box of seeds was placed in a dark cupboard. These beans grew -much more quickly than those grown in the light; but they were pale, -lank, and sickly. They never turned green. - -From this the boys learned that the green colour of leaves and stems is -due to the action of light. - -Uncle George took a few grains of wheat and placed them upon wet -blotting-paper. A tumbler turned upside down was placed over them. - -In a few days the children saw that a few small roots had grown out from -the end of each grain. - -When these roots had grown to about half an inch in length, great tufts -of long slender hairs sprang out all round them near their tips. These, -their uncle told them, were "root-hairs." - -The root-hairs of a plant are so fine that they are always torn off when -we dig or pull a plant out of the ground. It is by means of these -slender root-hairs that the plant is able to suck water out of the soil; -and this water always contains a very little plant-food in it. - -The boys noticed that the wheat grain did not sprout in the same way as -the bean seed. Instead of one stout little root, three usually came out. -The tiny shoot seemed to grow from the _outside_ of the grain, and the -two large masses of plant-food were missing. - - [Illustration: Stages in the Germination of Wheat.] - -Some wheat seeds were soaked and cut down the middle. With the aid of -the glass, the boys saw that in the wheat seed the baby plant is -attached to _one_ large mass of plant-food, made up of flour with an -outside layer of bran. - -Their uncle then told them that all the flowering plants in the world -are of two great families, namely, those whose seeds have only one food -store, like the wheat grain, and those whose seeds have two, like the -bean. - - - Exercises on Lesson V. - - 1. Explain all that happens when a horse-chestnut bud opens. - 2. Why do the buds which you force indoors wither after they open? - 3. What changes come over your bean seeds as they grow? - 4. Do the young plants draw any food from the sawdust? If not, what - feeds them? - 5. What three things does a seed need in order to start growing? - - [Illustration] - - 1. Magnified sections of Maize and Wheat Seeds, showing Young Plant, - Food Store, etc. - 2. Germination of Maize. - 3. Maize growing in Sawdust. - 4. Maize growing in Tap Water. - 5. Bean growing in Bottle over Water. - - - - - VI.--MORE ABOUT SEEDS. - - -It was raining in torrents outside, and the boys were a little upset -inside, for it was Saturday. They always looked forward to Saturday, for -it was their great rambling day. - -"I'm afraid we can't get out to-day," said Frank, sadly. - -"I'm afraid not," said his uncle. "But that is no reason why we should -sulk. We have those maize seeds to look over, you know, and by the time -we have done that perhaps the rain will have stopped." - -While Frank and Tom were bringing the boxes of seeds, Uncle George and -Dolly were busy getting out knives, glasses, mounted needles, and the -books they made their notes and sketches in. - -There were four small boxes in all. Each box had been sown with maize or -Indian corn at times a week apart, so that the plants in one box were -five weeks old, in the next four weeks old, and so on. - -"We will begin as we did with the bean. Let us cut the seed open first." -As he spoke, Uncle George laid some soaked maize seeds on the table. - -"If you look at these seeds carefully, you will notice a large mark on -one of the flat sides of each." - -"I see it," said Frank. "It is shaped something like a cone, and its -broad end is at the narrow end of the seed." - -"It is lighter in colour than the rest of the seed," said Tom. - -"You are both right," said their uncle. "Now I want you to cut the seed -longways, right down through the middle of that mark. Then use your -glass, and tell me what you see. - -"Look closely," said Uncle George, "first into one half and then into -the other." - -"Oh, I see something like a tiny plant," said Tom. "It is shut off from -a great mass of what looks like plant-food, just like our wheat grains." - -Tom made a rough sketch of it, and showed it to his uncle. - -"That is the baby plant, and the great mass above it is plant-food," -said his uncle. - -"Come on, Frank. Don't let Tom do all the finding out. What have you to -say?" - -"The maize seed has only one mass of plant-food, and it does not seem to -have two seed coats like the bean," Tom replied. - -"You are right," said Uncle George; "but if you look again you will see -that there is a thick layer of food stuff outside, which is of a -different colour from the rest. - -"This is like the bran layer which is round the food store in the wheat -grain. - -"This food store is starch, or, as we call it, _flour_. - -"Now, let us look at the growing seeds. We will take a few seeds out of -each box and see how they differ. - -"The seeds in this box, the last sown, are just a week old. You see the -root and shoot are just beginning to show. - -"Make a sketch, drawing it as large as you can, and write under it, -'Maize seed after a week's growth.' - -"Do the same with a seed from each of the other three boxes, and when -you have drawn them all, tell me of any differences you notice between -the growth of maize and that of the bean." - -"They do not grow in the same way at all," said Frank, as he drew his -last sketch. "In the maize seed the baby plant seems to be stuck on to -one of the flat sides of the seed." - -"What about the roots, Frank?" - -"Oh yes, I see that," Frank went on. "The root branches out all at once -in the maize seed. In some of these seeds the main root has scarcely -grown at all. Their roots are all branch-roots." - -"And, in the oldest plants, one great leaf rolls round the shoot and -hides it," said Tom. "In the bean shoot we saw two leaves quite -plainly." - -"Quite right, Tom. Now, boys, compare your drawings with those you made -of the bean. I will grow a maize and a bean seed together, so that you -can watch the growth of both, and compare them day by day." - -Uncle George then got an empty pickle bottle, and poured some water into -it. Then he took a soaked bean seed, and, having run a thread through it -with a needle, he hung it inside the bottle. He then corked the bottle, -and placed it in the window. - -He next took an old lamp chimney, and made a roll of blotting-paper to -fit the inside of it. This roll of paper was stuffed with moss. A few -maize seeds were pushed in between the glass and the paper, and the lamp -chimney was placed in a saucerful of water in the window. - - [Illustration: Plants that grow like Maize. - These plants have but one food mass in each of their seeds.] - - [Illustration: The Horse Pond in Spring.] - -"Now, boys," said Uncle George, "I want you to watch these seeds every -day. If you do so, you will learn how a seed grows into a plant; and you -will learn this not from me, but from the plant itself." - -Uncle George filled a wide bottle with water from the tap, and fixed one -of the five-week-old maize plants in it by means of a split cork. - -"I want you to watch this plant growing," he said, as he placed the -bottle in the window. "You ought to draw it once a week. Most people -think that plants draw their food chiefly from the soil. This is a great -mistake. - -"Plants take most of their food from the air, as you will see if you -watch the growth of this plant. Of course, it has a good food store in -the seed; but I think you will be surprised at the growth it makes from -that food store, the bottle of tap water, and the air." - - - Exercises on Lesson VI. - - 1. Make sketches of a soaked bean and of a soaked maize seed. - 2. Place a few beans (or peas) and a few maize (or wheat) seeds in a - box of damp sawdust. Water regularly. After a week dig up a - seed of each and draw them. - 3. Dig up a seed of each at intervals of two weeks, three weeks, and - four weeks; draw and compare them. - 4. Sow in a box of sawdust a few of each of the following--date - stones, orange pips, walnuts, chestnuts. Keep the box in a - _warm_ place, and watch how these seeds grow. - - - - - VII.--THE HORSE POND IN SPRING. - - -When Frank and Tom came home from school one afternoon, they found their -uncle very busy finishing a net he had made of green gauze. - -It had the shape of a shallow bag, and was fixed to a stout wire ring. -This ring was fastened to a walking-stick with a piece of strong string. - -On the table there were three wide glass jars, each with a piece of cord -tied round the neck to serve as a handle. - -"Now," said Uncle George, as he finished tying the net to the stick, -"now we are all ready for a visit to that pond of yours." - - [Illustration: Pond-Net and Glass Jars.] - -The pond was about half a mile away, in the corner of a field near a -wood. A small stream ran out of it, and joined a larger one a short -distance away. The last time the boys had seen this pond it was covered -with ice, and they had a merry time skating upon it. When they reached -it on this afternoon, it looked quite different. The grass around its -banks was fresh and green, and rushes were peeping up through the water. - -"Listen!" said Uncle George. - -"_Croak, croak, cr-roak_" came from beyond the rushes, while here and -there a little head would bob up and down in the water. - - [Illustration: Frog and Spawn in Water.] - -"Frogs!" said Frank. - -Uncle George nodded, and, stepping to the edge of the pond, he pulled -the net out, and with it a large mass of what looked like clear jelly, -having a large number of black dots in it. - -"Bring the largest jar, Tom," he said, "we are going to take this home." - -"What is it, Uncle George?" both boys asked at once. - -"It is a mass of frog's eggs, called the spawn of the frog," their uncle -replied. "Now, Frank, hold the jar over the water while I try to pour it -in." - -It was no easy matter getting it into the jar. It fell back into the -pond several times before it was at last got in the jar. - -"There," said Uncle George, as he placed the jar, now filled with frog -spawn, upon the bank. "Now, let us go to another part of the pond and -look for something else. - -"Keep quite still and look into the water. That is the only way to study -pond life. If you move about you will see very little. Now tell me if -you see anything moving at the bottom of the pond." - -"I see things like little pieces of stick moving slowly about," said Tom -in a whisper; "but perhaps it is the water that is moving them." - -"Not a bit of it," said Uncle George. "They are not pieces of stick. -There is a living creature inside each of them. We must have some of -them, Tom. They are very interesting creatures." And Uncle George put -his hand carefully down and picked several of them up. - -"These are caddis 'worms,'" said Uncle George. He placed them in the -second jar, and filled it up with water. - -Tom then saw that each of the "sticks" was really a little house, in -which was an insect of some sort. - -The cases were built of all kinds of odds and ends, glued together by -the clever creatures that lived inside them. - -Some were built of little pieces of rush or water-weed, others of tiny -shells, and others of very small stones. - -Each case was open at one end, and from this end the little dweller came -almost half-way out. They could see his head, his legs, and the fore -part of his body as he moved along, dragging his little house after him. - -"Uncle George, come here please," Frank shouted from the other side of -the pond. "Oh, such a funny animal--a fish with legs." - -"A fish with legs?" said Uncle George, laughing. "Oh, we must come and -see that." - -"Why, that isn't a fish, Frank. It is a newt." And Uncle George put in -the net to catch him. But the creature was too quick for him. It darted -out of sight. - -"Here are two others. Oh, such big ones," said Tom, in a loud whisper. - -This time Uncle George was luckier. When he drew up the net there were -two large creatures like lizards in it. - -"This is a lucky find, boys," said their uncle. "Great crested newts, -and what beauties they are!" - -The boys were surprised to see him take one of the newts out of the net -in his hand. He turned them over and looked at them closely before -putting them into the jar. - -"Aren't you afraid they will bite you, Uncle George?" Tom asked. - -"No, they cannot bite, and for a very good reason. They have got no -teeth. They are most harmless creatures. - -"But we must be getting home, boys. We have done well for our first -visit to the pond. I will tell you all about what we have found when we -get home, and you must watch them closely for yourselves." - -"Are we going to keep all these animals?" Frank asked. - -"We will keep them for a little while, so as to find out what we can -about them, then we will put them in the pond again." - - - Exercises on Lesson VII. - - 1. What did the boys find in the pond? - 2. What other living things may be seen in ponds? Make a list of all - the pond creatures you know. - 3. Why do caddis "worms" build cases round themselves? - 4. Can newts bite? Give reason. - - - - - VIII.--UNCLE GEORGE'S TANK. - - -Uncle George's tank was very simple. It was made up of several large -glass bells, such as the gardener uses for covering tender plants. - - [Illustration: Uncle George's Aquarium.] - -Each glass bell had a nob on the end of it. Uncle George got a large -block of wood for each bell-jar. This block he hollowed out with a -chisel. - -He next bored a large hole in the centre of the hollow to hold the nob. -Then he cut a piece of thick green cloth into a round shape, with a hole -in its centre. - -This piece of cloth was placed over the hollowed out part of the block, -and the bell-jar, turned upside down, was placed in the block so that -the glass nob fitted into the hole. - -Uncle George fitted up four of these tanks and filled them with fresh -water. The frog spawn was put into the first vessel. The next was for -the newts. The third one held the caddis worms and some other curious -creatures that had been found in the ditch. - -In the fourth vessel were half a dozen pretty little fishes called -stickle-backs, which the boys had caught in the brook. - -Some water weeds and a few water snails or whelks were put into each -vessel, except that with the frog spawn in it. - -Every other morning Uncle George changed the water by means of a tube -which he called a siphon. - -This was a piece of lead pipe, about two feet long, and bent in the -middle into the form of the letter U. - -"The water weeds are very pretty," said Frank. - -"They are," replied his uncle, "and they are also very useful. They help -to keep the water pure. I should have to change the water every day if -there were no weeds in it. - - [Illustration: Stickle-backs, Pond Weed, etc., in Aquarium.] - -"The whelks also are most useful. They are the road-men of our ponds and -streams. They eat up all the waste matter, and so keep the water clean -and healthy." - -It was great fun feeding those little fishes. They were fed sometimes on -raw meat chopped very fine, sometimes on little pieces of biscuit. At -first they were very shy, but they soon got over that. In less than a -week they were quite at home, and would come up to the top of the water -and take tiny pieces of beef from the boys' fingers. - -They would swim after Frank's finger as he drew it round the tank, and -would even leap out of the water for food that was held out to them. - -At times they darted about as if playing "hide and seek" among the water -weeds. - -By and by the boys noticed that every time one of the little fish darted -at another, the three cruel spines rose up on his back, and that he was -really trying to spear his neighbour. - -One morning a dead stickle-back was found in the bottom of the tank. A -few days later another little fish was picked out pale and stiff. - -"They are killing one another," said Frank. "What shall we do?" - -"If any more of this fighting goes on we shall have to put them back -into the brook," said Uncle George. - -"Do they always fight?" - -"No, not always--only in spring-time when they are mating. Look! there -is one of them getting very pretty. He is the victor--the bully of the -pool." - -"Let us call him _Bully_," said Dolly; "he is bigger than the others, -and oh, so much more beautiful." - -Next day another stickle-back was found dead, and Bully's colours were -much brighter. He darted about as if the whole tank belonged to him. - -He was really a lovely fish now, and he seemed to know it by the proud -way in which he dashed about, showing off his fine slender body all -shiny with crimson, blue, and gold. He was, as Dolly said, "Just like a -little bit of rainbow." - -But before the evening a very curious thing took place. Bully seemed to -have suddenly lost all his fine colours; and instead of swimming proudly -at the top of the tank, he slunk sulky to the bottom. - -The strange thing was that _another_ stickle-back--a smaller fish than -Bully--was now brightly coloured, and seemed to be lord of the tank. - -"Bully has been beaten," said Uncle George, "and his victor has taken -not only the courage but the colour out of him." - -"It serves him right, I think, for being so proud and so cruel. But what -is the meaning of all this fighting and change of colours, Uncle -George?" - -"Oh, it is very simple, Frank. There is a lady stickle-back in the -question; and, like the brave knights of old, our little stickle-backs -are trying to win her by fighting. - -"The victor will marry her. They will build a neat little nest for -themselves, and live happily together. - -"To-morrow we will take them back to the brook, where the weak ones will -be better able to escape. - -"In June we will visit the brook. If we are lucky enough to find one of -their nests, you will see that after Lady Stickle-back lays her tiny -eggs in it, her little husband guards the home night and day. - -"When the family are hatching out, the plucky little stickle-back -bravely defends the nest. - -"He drives away water-beetles, perch, and other fishes much larger than -himself. For well he knows that these visitors would quickly gobble up -his darlings if they got the chance." - - [Illustration: Stickle-backs and Nest.] - - - Exercises on Lesson VIII. - - 1. What is an aquarium? - 2. Why are water weeds and water snails put into an aquarium? - 3. How do you feed small fish? Why should you be careful not to put in - more than the fishes can eat? - 4. Where does the stickle-back lay its eggs? - - - - - IX.--TADPOLES. - - -The frog spawn, when first put into the big glass bell, was just a mass -of jelly-like stuff studded all over with black dots. - -When looked at closely, it was seen to consist of many round, clear -eggs. Each egg was surrounded by a thin skin, and had, in its centre, a -little round black ball or yolk. - -At the end of a week all these black yolks had lost their round shape. -They were now long and oval. During the next four days these oval yolks -became little moving animals, each having a head, body, and tail, but no -limbs. - -From the head of each there grew out two pairs of feathery objects. -These, Uncle George told the boys, were gills or breathing organs. Soon -another pair of these feathery gills appeared: so that each little -creature had now three on each side of his head. - -By the end of the second week the little creatures had all wriggled out -of the eggs. They hung together by their feathery gills in little black -groups. - -"What shall we feed them on?" Frank asked his uncle. - -"They are not at all nice in their tastes," Uncle George replied. "They -will eat almost anything, from water weeds up to drowned kittens. If -they get nothing else, they will eat one another, and not mind it a -bit." - -"How dreadful," said Frank. "Hadn't we better give them something to eat -now, for fear they may eat each other up." - -"It wouldn't do much good giving them anything to eat now, for they have -_no mouths_." - - [Illustration: The Development of the Tadpole. - 1. Portion of Frog Spawn. 2. Same after ten days. 3. A Newly-Hatched - Tadpole. The remaining figures show the same Tadpole at (4) one week; -(5) three weeks; (6) seven weeks; (7) eleven weeks; (8) thirteen weeks; - and (9) fourteen weeks after hatching.] - -"No mouths, Uncle George?" - -"No mouths," Uncle George repeated. "Is it not curious? For four days -the tadpole, or young frog, has no mouth, and yet during that time he -grows a great deal. - -"Four days after he leaves the egg his mouth appears. It is a very small -mouth, fringed with frilled, fleshy lips. These lips are moved by a pair -of strong, horny jaws. This mouth is very different from the wide, -gaping mouth of the frog." - -Just as Uncle George had said, the tadpoles ate nothing for four days. -Then their mouths appeared, and they began to eat the water weeds. But -Uncle George fed them on raw meat. He said it made them grow quickly. A -small piece of raw beef, tied to the end of a string, was lowered into -the tank, and the tadpoles swarmed around it. What was left of the beef -was pulled out every morning, and a fresh piece put in. - -By this means the water was kept clean, and had only to be changed once -a week. - -"Why, they have no gills now," said Frank one day, as he was helping his -uncle to change the water. - -"Oh yes, they have, Frank. They have gills like a fish now. - -"When they are about four weeks old, their feathery gills go away; but, -before this, four gill-slits are formed in each side of the tadpole's -head." - -Uncle George took a glass tube about twelve inches long, and placing his -thumb tightly on one end of it, he pushed it down into the water until -the other end was right above a tadpole. - -Then he took his thumb off, and the tadpole and some water shot up the -tube. He then replaced his thumb tightly on the end of the tube, and -lifted it out of the water. - -The tadpole and water remained in the tube as long as he kept his thumb -on the end of it. He emptied the contents of the tube into a little -dish, and Frank looked at the tadpole with a glass. - -"I can't see the gill-slits," said Frank. - -"Oh yes, you can, if you look closely. What seems to be a big head is -really head and body covered over by a cloak of skin." - -"Yes, I see the gills now," said Frank. "They are red in colour. I also -see the cloak. There is an opening on the left side of it." - -"That is so," said his uncle. "That opening is there to let the water -into the gills." - -At the end of the fifth week, Uncle George took some tadpoles out for -the boys to look at. - -"Do you see any change?" he asked. - -"Yes," said Tom, "they have two things like hind legs growing out." - -"These _are_ legs," his uncle said, "and in two weeks from now these -legs will have movable joints in them." - -Day by day the tadpoles were carefully watched, and the following -wonderful changes were observed. - -When about seven weeks old, their hind legs became jointed, and long -toes were formed. The tadpoles were now able to kick out and swim by -means of their long hind legs. Their gills went away, and they came to -the surface and took mouthfuls of air. They now had lungs instead of -gills. - -But the most striking change came at the end of the eleventh week. - -One by one they lost the cloak which covered head and body. - -Under this cloak a pair of fore legs had been folded up and hidden for -some time. They were now tiny, wide-mouthed frogs, with long, clumsy -tails. - -The clumsy tails grew smaller and smaller daily. At last there was no -tail left, and what was at one time a cluster of black, wriggling -tadpoles, was now a crowd of lively little dark yellow frogs. - -The boys wished to keep them longer, but their uncle told them that they -could not do this. - -"Your tadpoles are now frogs," he said. "The frog is an insect eater. As -we cannot give these little frogs their natural food, we must place them -where they can get it for themselves, or they will die." - -So the frogs were carried back to their native pond. - - - Exercises on Lesson IX. - - 1. What are tadpoles? - 2. How old is the frog before his hind legs appear? - 3. A tadpole seems to be all head and tail. Can you explain this? - 4. How do tadpoles breathe--(1) when they are first hatched? (2) when - they are four weeks old? (3) when they are eleven weeks old? - -[Illustration: Frog, Toad, and Newt--showing Eggs of Toad and Newt, and - Tadpoles of Frog and Toad] - - - - - X.--FROGS, TOADS, AND NEWTS. - - -"I think we had better take our newts back to the pond now, Frank." - -"Oh, do let us keep them for a day or two longer, Uncle George. They are -getting quite tame." - -As he spoke, Frank drew his finger slowly round the outside of the glass -vessel that held the newts. One of the creatures swam round, following -his finger. - -"Look, Uncle George! He knows me." - -"He is hungry, and thinks you ought to have a small worm in your -fingers." - -"_Thinks?_ Uncle George. Can newts _think_?" - -"It looks as if they could, does it not? We feed these creatures every -day, and they have got into the habit of looking for food every time we -come near them. But here comes Tom with the worms." - -It was curious to watch how the newt acted when a tiny worm was given -it. At first it seemed not to see the worm, although it was wriggling at -his nose. It crept back slowly about two or three inches, then all at -once it sprang upon the worm and gobbled it up. - -"You must tell us all about the newt, Uncle George," said Tom. - -"I should like to know how much you two boys have found out by feeding -and watching these two," said Uncle George. "So just tell me what _you_ -know about the newt first, then perhaps I can tell you some things about -newts, frogs, and toads which you do not know." - -"Well," began Tom, "the newt lives in water. He has four feet, with -pretty little toes upon them, and a long tail. He feeds upon worms, -tadpoles, and other small animals, and he swallows them whole, because -he has no teeth. - - [Illustration: Crested Newt, Male and Female.] - -"The male has a huge crest, and is gay with bright colours. - -"The female has no crest. She lays her eggs upon the pond weeds. A -single egg is laid upon a leaf. The leaf is then rolled round it, so as -to hide it from enemies." - -"Very good, Tom," said his uncle; "but you have not told us about the -newt's skin." - -"Oh, I forgot that," Tom went on. "The newt has a lovely silky skin, -which it only wears for about a week, then it casts it off. Now, tell us -something more about them, Uncle George." - -"The newt does not live in the water all the year," said Uncle George. -"During autumn and winter great families of newts sleep together under -stones and in dry holes in the earth. They only go to the pond in early -spring to lay their eggs." - -"Do newts ever become frogs or toads?" asked Frank. - -"Oh no, Frank, never. I know what makes you think that. It is because -the young frog, just before he loses his tail, is very like a little -newt. - -"Young newts are tadpoles too, but they differ very much from frog -tadpoles. Newt tadpoles live in the pond for more than a year. They have -feathery outside gills on all that time. Their _fore_ feet are formed -first. If you remember, our frog tadpoles got their hind legs first. - -"Long ago people believed all sorts of absurd things about the poor, -harmless newt. They were afraid to touch it. Every newt found was killed -at once, for it was thought to have a sting and poison bag. Even at the -present day many people believe that newts and toads are dangerous -animals." - -"How can you tell a toad from a frog, Uncle George," Tom asked. - -"They are very different from each other, both in shape and in their -ways of living. The toad is a fat, clumsy animal. His skin is dull and -warty. He does not hop, but crawls or walks lazily along. - -"He lives upon flying insects, which he catches with his curious long -tongue. He gets very fat during summer and autumn. - -"Before winter comes on, he looks out a snug hole under a root or stone. -Here he sleeps the whole winter through. - -"In spring he wakes up, lean and hungry, and betakes himself to the -pond. - -"The eggs of the toad are laid in the water in long strings, each like a -double row of beads. They hang gracefully upon the water weeds, and look -very pretty. - -"The toad tadpoles are very like those of the frog. They go through the -same changes. - -"The toad also casts his skin, but he does not throw it away like the -newt. He takes his old, cast-off skin, rolls it up into a neat little -ball, and _swallows it_. - -"The frog's body is more slender. His skin is slippery. It is not dull -and dingy like that of the toad. It is of a bright greenish yellow -colour, marked with black spots of different sizes. - -[Illustration: 1. Frog. 2. Toad. 3. Frog catching a Fly with its tongue.] - -"The frog can change his colour from light to dark. He has long hind -legs which enable him to hop very high on land and to swim very fast in -the pool. - -"He likes the long, damp grass, where he catches flies, beetles, and -slugs. - -"He sleeps through the winter, buried in the mud at the bottom of the -still pool. - -"Like the toad, the frog catches his prey by means of a long, sticky -tongue, which darts out of his mouth whenever an unlucky insect comes -within reach. - -"His tongue is fixed to the floor of his mouth just at his lower lip. It -is forked at the end. When not in use, it lies folded back inside his -mouth and points down his throat." - - - Exercises on Lesson X. - - 1. Where are frogs, newts, and toads in winter-time? - 2. How could you tell a toad from a frog? - 3. What is the difference between young newts (tadpoles) and young - frogs (tadpoles)? - 4. Write the life of a frog (or of a toad) as if told by the creature - itself. - - - - - XI.--UNDERGROUND STEMS. - - -Uncle George and his three young pupils had been to the woods. After tea -he opened the metal box which he carried, slung by a strap over his -shoulder, whenever he went out rambling. - -This box had in it a pond-net and a couple of wide bottles. To-night it -was half filled with plants. - -Before laying them on the table, Uncle George washed the soil from their -roots at the tap. - -"Now then," he said, "let me see how much you remember of our lesson in -the woods. I will begin with Dolly"--and Uncle George held up a lovely -white flower. - -"That," said little Dolly, "is the _wooden enemy_!" - -Uncle George laughed loudly, and so did the two boys. Dolly laughed -too--she did not quite know why. She was a merry little girl, who -laughed whenever she got the chance. - -"You mean _wood anemone_, dear, don't you?" said Uncle George, as he -stroked her pretty curly hair. - -"Yes, I _mean_ that, Uncle George; but I can't say it properly," said -Dolly, still laughing. - -"Oh yes, you can if you try--wood a-nem'-o-ne. It is easily pronounced. -Now Frank, it is your turn. What is this one with the great number of -yellow petals, the spotted heart-shaped leaves, and the funny fat -roots?" - -"The pilewort, or lesser celandine," answered Frank. - -"Quite right! Now, Tom, here is one for you. This plant, you see, has -broad kidney-shaped leaves with crimped edges, large yellow flowers, and -a coarse round hollow stem. We found it, if you remember, growing in the -mud at the edge of the brook." - - [Illustration: Marsh Marigold.] - -"It is the marsh marigold," said Tom. - -"Very good! Now this one?" - -As he held it up all three answered at once--"The primrose!" - -"We found this one also growing at the edge of the brook." As he spoke, -Uncle George held out a very pretty plant. Its flowers were of a pale -pinkish blue colour. They were shaped like the flowers of the -wallflower, but were smaller. The flowers were borne up upon a long -stalk which sprang from a rosette of pretty little leaves. - -"It is the _lady's smock_," said Dolly; "I remembered that one because -it is so pretty." - -"Well done, Dolly!" said her uncle proudly. "Now, I think we have quite -enough to go on with. Let us take these up one by one and examine and -draw parts of them. First take the wood anemone. What do you call this?" - -Uncle George pointed to the stout part of the plant that had been in the -ground. - -"The root," said Frank. - -"No, Frank!" his uncle replied. "But that is what I thought you would -say. Now, tell us why you think it is the root." - -"Because it grows under ground." - -"But roots do not have buds upon them, Frank: and see! flower-stalk and -leaf-stalk spring from it, while fibrous, or string like, roots hang -down from it." - -"It must be a stem, then," Frank ventured. - -"It _is_ the stem," said his uncle. "We have already seen that the -creeping crowfoot and ground ivy have stems that creep along on the -surface of the ground. - -"Many plants have stems which creep along under ground. This is an -underground stem; and this is another." Here he pointed to the primrose. - -"Why, I always thought that that pink thing was the root of the -primrose," said Frank; "but I see now that it is really more like a -stem. It has marks upon it like scars." - - [Illustration: Plants with Underground Stems] - - [Illustration] - - 1. Caterpillar, Pupa, and perfect Insect of Tiger Moth - 2. Caterpillar, Pupa, and perfect Insect of Magpie Moth - 3. White (Cabbage) Butterfly, Male and Female, with Caterpillar and - Pupa - -"These are marks where leaves once grew upon it," his uncle remarked. -"Notice that the primrose leaves form a rosette on the top of this -underground stem." - -"Is there any reason for these plants having their stems under ground?" -Tom asked. - -"There is a reason for everything in nature, my boy. Can't you see any -reason for this yourself?" - -"I see one, I think," said Frank; "it enables the plant to creep out to -new soil." - -"That is one very good reason, Frank. Now, why should it seek other -soil?" - -"For food!" - -"That is right, Frank. Those plants which have underground stems seem to -die down every autumn; but they are alive all the time under ground, -safe from the frosts and bitter winds which kill tender plants. And they -peep up in a new place in spring. - - [Illustration: Anemone.] - -"Now I want you to tell me why these underground stems are swollen out -so. It cannot be for strength, for creeping stems don't require to be -strong. - -"Fetch me a raw potato, Tom, please! - -"Now," Uncle George continued, "tell me what this potato is." - -"It is an underground stem," said Frank. - -"Yes! Why is it swollen? What do we use the potato for?" - -"For food. Oh, I know," said Frank, "it is a food store." - - [Illustration: Primrose.] - - [Illustration: Pilewort, showing Roots.] - -"Of course," said his uncle. "It is a supply of food gathered up this -year for next year's plant. Look at the roots of the lesser celandine. I -see Tom has drawn them. They are swollen. Are they roots, or underground -stems?" - -"They have neither leaf marks on them, nor buds," said Frank, "I think -they must be roots." - -"They _are_ roots," said Uncle George, "but they are food supplies all -the same. - -"There are other underground stems that grow quickly. Good examples of -these are mint, couch grass, and sand sedge. The underground stems of -these plants grow so fast that they are always occupying new ground. -They have therefore no need to store up a food supply like their slower -growing neighbours the primrose, potato, anemone, iris, and many -others." - - - Exercises on Lesson XI. - - 1. Dig up a primrose plant, and make a rough sketch showing - underground stem, roots, and leaves. - 2. An underground stem may be of use to a plant in three different - ways. Can you name them? - 3. There are two distinct kinds of underground stems--those that grow - quickly and those that grow slowly. Name three of each kind, - and tell how they differ in shape. - 4. Compare a potato with a horse-chestnut twig. Supposing your twig to - be swollen out with plant-food, what parts of it do the "eyes" - of the potato represent? What do the {scars/marks} near the - "eyes" represent? - - - - - XII.--CATERPILLARS. - - -"We found these upon the dead-nettle." As he spoke, Frank opened a small -cardboard box and showed his uncle half a dozen large, hairy -caterpillars. - - [Illustration: Larva Cage.] - -"Splendid," said Uncle George. "We will just put these into the cage." - -Uncle George, who was a very good carpenter, had of late been busy in -his spare time making a box or cage for keeping caterpillars in. He -called it a _larva cage_. - -It was a curious looking thing, something like a small meat-safe. Three -sides and the top of it were covered with gauze. The fourth side was a -large pane of glass. The gauze-covered side opposite to this opened as a -door. - -It was divided into an upper and a lower part by a shelf in the middle, -and, by sliding in two pieces of wood, it could be divided into four -tiny rooms. - -Now that it was finished, Uncle George wanted to get it stocked, and his -two nephews wanted it stocked too. - -"Do you want any more of these woolly caterpillars?" Frank asked. - -"No, Frank, but you can bring me in some more of a different kind. Or, -better still, let us go out into the garden now and see if we can find -any there." - -The gardener beamed with joy when Uncle George told him what they had -come to the garden for. - -"Caterpillars?" he said. "I wish you would take them all, sir. They are -the worst vermin in the garden. Last year they left scarcely a leaf on -my currant bushes." - -Our three friends went straight to the currant bushes. Here they found a -good many pretty little caterpillars of a creamy colour, richly striped -with orange, and dotted over with black spots. These, their uncle -informed them, were the caterpillars or _larv_ of the magpie moth. - -On the cabbages they found several caterpillars of the large white -butterfly. These were bluish green in colour, with three bold yellow -stripes running along the whole length of their bodies. - -"What are these, Uncle George?" Tom asked, as he turned up a cabbage -leaf and pointed to several white patches on its under side. The leaf -next it was spotted just like it. - -"Oh, Tom, how lucky we are! These are the eggs of the large white -butterfly. Now we shall be able to follow up the whole life of this -insect, and a wonderful life it is. Let us go right in and examine them. -Take some cabbage leaves and some currant leaves to feed the hungry -caterpillars with." - -"Our larva cage is now quite full," said Uncle George, when he had put -the caterpillars in. - -"Why do you not put them into the same room, Uncle George?" - -"There are two reasons for that, Frank. First, they live upon different -kinds of food. The hairy caterpillar, or 'woolly bear,' as boys call it, -feeds upon nettles, the cabbage caterpillar prefers cabbage leaves, -while the currant caterpillar will only eat currant leaves. - - [Illustration] - - 1. Caterpillar and Eggs of Cabbage Butterfly. - 2. Egg magnified. - -"Second, the woolly bear will sometimes eat up his smooth-skinned -friends. Now, get your glasses and have a peep at the beautiful eggs of -the 'large white' or 'cabbage' butterfly." - -"Why, they are not at all like eggs," said Frank, as he closely looked -at them with his glass. - -"What are they like, Frank?" - -"They are like little pieces of carved ivory all shaped alike," Frank -replied. - -"Yes, but that does not give us a very clear idea of their shape," -observed his uncle. "Come on, Tom." - -"They are like little Indian clubs with the handles cut off, only they -are beautifully marked with long, slender ridges and cross bars." - -"That is really a very good account of them, Tom. They are arranged in -patches. Count and let me know how many eggs are in each bunch." - -The boys counted all the groups of eggs, and found that there were eight -eggs in some, nine in others, but that most of them contained ten or -more. - -"Now, how many egg patches are there?" asked Uncle George. - -"There are seven patches on my leaf," said Frank. - -"And ten on mine," added Tom. - -"That is about one hundred and fifty eggs altogether," said Uncle -George. - -"Has each of these bunches of eggs been laid by one butterfly?" asked -Frank. - -"It is more than probable that one butterfly laid the whole lot," his -uncle replied; "for the white butterfly lays, as a rule, over two -hundred eggs." - -"That is about as many eggs as a hen lays in a year," said Frank. - -"Yes," said Uncle George, "a good hen and a white butterfly lay about -the same number of eggs in a year; but the butterfly lays all her eggs -in one day. - -"After laying her eggs, she dies. That is perhaps why she always lays -them on the kind of plant which the young caterpillars can feed upon -when they hatch out. - -"Let us look at the caterpillars now. We need not take them out, as we -can easily see them through the glass side of the cage. - -"Notice that the body of the cabbage caterpillar consists of a round, -dark coloured head and a number of broad, ring-like divisions. How many -of these divisions are there?" - -"Twelve," said Frank, after counting carefully. - -"Right!" said his uncle. "Now, about legs--how many are there?" - -"There are three pairs of legs on the first three divisions of its body, -and a pair of shorter and stouter legs on each of the sixth, seventh, -eighth, and ninth divisions, making seven pairs of legs altogether," -Frank answered. - - [Illustration: Caterpillars of Magpie Moth.] - -"That is quite correct, Frank, and I am glad you noticed the difference -between the first three pairs and the others. The first three pairs are -the creature's real legs. The others are false or temporary legs." - -"There is a row of black spots on the yellow band along its side," -observed Tom. - -"These are its breathing-holes, Tom. We breathe by our lungs only, but -caterpillars and insects have breathing-tubes all over their bodies." - -"The woolly bear and the cabbage caterpillar move about in the same -way," said Frank. "But look at those currant caterpillars, Uncle George, -what a funny way they have of getting along!" - -"These belong to a kind of caterpillars known as 'loopers,'" said his -uncle. "They move about by looping up their bodies in this strange -manner." - -"I do not like to handle those hairy caterpillars," Tom remarked. "Why -are they covered with those nasty long hairs?" - -"You have just given the reason, Tom. You don't like to touch them on -account of these hairs; neither do animals. No bird will eat one of -these. If he does, he will never eat another. - -"Notice how they coil up like a hedgehog when they are touched. This -makes them more difficult to swallow. Just imagine how a bird would feel -with one of these ticklish customers stuck in his throat, eh? - -"Now, boys, make a sketch of one of the tiny eggs, also one of the big -cabbage caterpillar, and then we will go out and have a game of cricket -on the lawn." - - - Exercises on Lesson XII. - - 1. Where would you look for the eggs of the white butterfly? Why are - they always laid upon the same kind of plant, and why _under_ - the leaf? - 2. Explain how caterpillars breathe. - 3. Take any caterpillars you find. Observe the leaves you find them - feeding upon. Give them fresh leaves every day, and watch how - they grow. - 4. Why has the "woolly bear" caterpillar got a hairy coat? What does - he usually feed upon? - - - - - XIII.--THE WHITE BUTTERFLY. - - -Uncle George had to go from home for a week, and his two nephews went -part of the way to the railway station with him. - -As they were about to take a short cut through the wood, Uncle George -went up to a huge beech tree. He looked very closely at its grey trunk -for a time, then stepping back from it about three yards, exclaimed:-- - -"Come here boys! Stand beside me, look closely at this tree, and tell me -if you see any strange objects sticking to the bark." - -After staring at it for some time, they both declared that they could -see nothing upon it. - -"Go nearer--nearer still! Now, do you see anything?" - -The boys shook their heads. - -"Go quite close up to the trunk and examine it," said Uncle George. - -"Oh," said Frank suddenly, "I see queer things like grubs, coloured -almost exactly like the bark. Some of them are lighter in colour." - -"Look carefully at those lighter ones, and you will find that they are -just empty cases." - -"So they are," said Frank, as he touched one with his finger and saw it -crush up. - -"Notice how they are fixed to the bark!" said Uncle George. - -The boys watched as their uncle placed his pencil under one of the -darker coloured objects, and saw that it was slung up to the tree by a -loose silken girdle round its middle, while a tuft of fine threads -fastened the lower end to the bark. - -Suddenly, as if it were annoyed at being touched by the pencil, the -lower half of the object moved from side to side with rapid jerks. - -"Why, it is alive," said Tom. - -"Yes, of course it is," said his uncle. "This is another lucky find." - -"What are they?" Frank asked. - -"Can't you guess, Frank? Don't you remember my telling you that all the -insects were asleep in their cases during winter. - -"Each of these darker coloured cases contains a white butterfly. They -have been here all winter, and they are just about to hatch out." - -"How do you know that, Uncle George?" - -"I know it because the empty cases tell me that some of the butterflies -have just hatched out. This is what your cabbage caterpillar becomes -after he is tired of feeding. - -"You have now seen three different stages of the life of this insect. -First, the curious eggs laid on the under side of the cabbage leaf; next -the greedy caterpillar; and now, the chrysalis or _pupa_ stage. - -"The caterpillar goes to sleep in autumn as a hard-cased chrysalis, and -wakes up in spring a beautiful butterfly." - -"How strange," said Frank. "And will our caterpillars remain -caterpillars until autumn, and then tuck themselves up like this and go -to sleep for the winter." - -"No, Frank! our caterpillars will go into the chrysalis state in a week -or so, and hatch out as butterflies in August. These August butterflies -will lay eggs. The caterpillars from these eggs will turn into _pup_ in -September. - -"These September pup will supply the white butterflies of next spring -and summer. Put some of these into your box. Watch then carefully, and -you may be lucky enough to see the white butterfly coming out of his -winter case." - -"I cannot understand," said Tom, "how a big white butterfly can be -inside so small a case. It must be very tightly wrapped up." - -"So it is, as you will see," said Uncle George. "Good-bye, boys! and -mind, when I come back, I shall expect to see notes and sketches of all -that has taken place in the larva cage during my absence." - - * * * * * * * * - -"Won't you let your uncle take his dinner first," said Frank's mother, -as she hung Uncle George's overcoat up in the hall. - -"No, mother! he must come at once," said the excited Frank. "There's a -butterfly just coming out." - -"Oh, I must come and see that," said Uncle George; and he allowed his -eager nephews to drag him towards the larva cage. - -By the time they got to the cage the butterfly had hatched, but they -were in time to see it unfurl its wings. The wings were crumpled and -twisted, but the creature slowly straightened them out to dry in the -sun. - -"We saw it burst its case," said Tom. "First a small slit appeared at -the head end. This slit grew larger. Then the butterfly's head and feet -appeared. It squeezed its way and was just half way out, with its wings -crumpled round it, when you arrived." - -"I arrived just a minute too late, then," said his uncle. - - [Illustration: White or Cabbage Butterfly and Pupa.] - -"Oh, and the eggs have hatched too," said Tom. "Look at them now, Uncle -George!" - -His uncle looked, and saw that the white patches of eggs had given place -to larger patches of little active, dark coloured maggots. - -"We want to know what has become of the lovely carved shells of the -eggs," said Tom. - -"They have been eaten up," his uncle replied. "From the moment a -caterpillar is born he does nothing but eat--eat--eat. He begins by -eating the shell of the egg he comes out of. - -"For the first week of their lives these tiny caterpillars feed together -in small bands, and they grow so fast you can almost fancy you see them -growing. After they have grown to a certain size, each caterpillar -starts out for himself." - -"Do you see the three butterflies that have hatched out?" asked Tom. - -"Yes, I see them. There are two females and one male," said Uncle -George. - -"How can you tell males from females?" asked Frank. - -"Oh, that is easy enough," Uncle George replied. "The females are -larger, and have two big black spots on each of their front wings. But I -only see eight of the large cabbage caterpillars. We put in twelve, I -think." - -"Look!" said Frank, pointing to the roof of the cage. - -"Ah, yes, I see them. Two of them have passed into the pup stage, and -are slung up by their silken belts to the wall of the cage. - -"The other two are spinning silken belts round the middle of their -bodies, if they have not already done so. After this belt is finished -they will slowly slip their useless green skins off, and finally get rid -of them by sharply jerking the tail end of their pupa cases." - -"Yes, we watched those other two do that," said Tom. - -"Notice," continued Uncle George, "that all your big cabbage -caterpillars have lost their yellow stripes and are now of a bluish -green colour. They have stopped feeding, and are now dull and sleepy. -This indicates that they are about to enter the pupa stage." - -"But look at the currant and the hairy caterpillars, uncle," said Frank. - -"My dear boy," said Frank's mother, "Uncle George must really have food -and rest after his long journey. He will hear about the other -caterpillars some other time." - - - Exercises on Lesson XIII. - - 1. Explain why the pup of white butterflies are coloured like the - objects they are attached to. - 2. Write the life of a white butterfly, and illustrate your - description with sketches of caterpillar, pupa, and butterfly. - 3. The life of an insect is divided into four distinct stages. Name - them. Which is the longest stage in the case of the white - butterfly? - 4. Describe, as you have observed it, the behaviour of a caterpillar - as it passes from the larva to the chrysalis form. - - - - - XIV.--THE TOILING CADDIS. - - -"Look here, boys," said Uncle George, "you have been paying nearly all -your attention to the larva cage during my absence, and have forgotten -the caddis worms." - - [Illustration] - - 1. Caddis Cases. - 2. Larva out of Case. - 3. Pupa. - 4. Caddis Fly. - -Uncle George made believe to be cross. - -"We changed the water every two days," said Frank. - -"Yes, I know. But you have not reported any changes in the creatures -themselves. What has been going on in the larva cage has also been going -on here in the water, for caddis worms are simply water-caterpillars. -You nearly missed something of very great interest." - -Uncle George laid three saucers on the table, and continued:-- - -"We are going to look into the life of the caddis fly to-day; but before -I take them out of the water, I want you to tell me what you have noted -about them up to now." - -"They are always climbing up the water weeds," said Frank. - -"They are always adding to their cases," said Tom. - -"Some of them have died," said Frank. - -"What?" said his uncle. "Do you mean these at the bottom of the tank? -These are not dead, they are only asleep. Put your hand in, and take -some of these out." - -"Their cases are stuck to the pond weeds and to each other," said Frank, -as he lifted a few out, and placed them in a saucer. - -"Ah, I have it, Uncle George! They have gone into the pupa state. Is -that not so?" - -Uncle George nodded. - -"Look!" exclaimed Tom. "There are things like earwigs floating on the -water." - -"Never mind these just now, Tom," said his uncle. "I am coming to them -by and by. Observe the wonderful cases which the caddis worms have made -for themselves. - -"Here is one whose case, when we found him, was made of neatly cut -pieces of water rush. He has almost doubled the length of his case since -then; for see, the front half is made of cut stalks of water weed neatly -arranged." - -"He has got a fine collar of green pieces round his neck," Frank -observed. - -"Why are they always adding to the length of their cases?" asked Tom. - -"Because they are always growing," said Frank. - -"That is the reason," said Uncle George; "and they grow so fast that -they have actually to work hard at building. - -"Observe those that make their cases out of tiny shells and stones. They -have made free use of the coloured beads and small pieces of coal which -we put in." - -"How do they manage to stick these things together?" asked Tom. - -"A caddis worm is a busy creature," his uncle replied. "He does two -things besides eating and growing. With those strong pincers, which you -see at his head, he saws off pieces of weed. - -"Near his mouth he has got a kind of loom for spinning silk. These -pieces are stuck together with silk, which is a gluey substance when it -first comes from the creature's body. - -"These rough cases are lined with silk." - -"Why does he have to make a house for himself, and carry it about with -him?" said Frank. - -In answer to this, his uncle took out a few of the active caddis worms, -and placed them in a saucer with water. He held one up. - -"You see," he said, "his case is open at both ends. Now, if I tried to -get him out from the front, I should never manage it. This is the way to -get him out." - -As he spoke, Uncle George pushed the head of a pin into the tail end of -the case, and the creature scrambled out at once. - -"It is too bad turning you out of your cosy room, Mr Caddis," Uncle -George observed; "but you'll go back again as soon as you get the -chance, won't you? I want my nephews to understand why you work so very -hard. - -"Now, Frank, you can answer your own question, I think--'Why does the -caddis worm build a house?'" - -"Because he has a soft body." - -"Quite right. But why is he forced to protect his body?" - -"Fishes would eat him." - -"Right again, Frank. If trout could speak, they might tell you that the -sweetest morsel in the stream is the caddis worm. Now, take your lens, -please, and tell me something about him." - -"His body is divided into rings, and there are the same number of them -as we found in the caterpillar." - -"Very good, Frank. Now give Tom a chance." - -"His head and the first three divisions of his body are hard cased. They -are black and yellow in colour." - -"He has six legs," said Frank, "and they are attached to the first three -divisions of his body." - -"What about the last division of his body?" Uncle George asked. - -"Oh, how funny!" said Frank. "It is divided into two large things like -horns." - -"These," said his uncle, "are the hooks by which he fixes himself so -firmly in his case." - -"And what are all these curious big bristles for?" asked Tom. "They are -all over his body." - -"These are his breathing organs," Uncle George answered. "The -caterpillar, if you remember, had breathing-holes along the sides of his -body. By moving his long body, the caddis worm causes a constant current -of water to pass through his dwelling. - -"Look at the fourth segment of his body. How does it differ from the -others?" - -"It is the broadest segment," said Frank, "and there is a stout rounded -thing in the middle of it." - -"Yes," his uncle replied, "and if we can get him turned on his back we -shall see two more of these stout outgrowths below, one on each side of -the same segment. This is really very clever. By it the animal keeps -himself in the middle, so that the current of water must flow all around -him. - -"Now, look at the case of a sleeping caddis." - -"The front of the case is closed," said Frank. - -"How is it closed, Frank?" - -"Well, there is a network of threads over it," answered Frank. - -"Yes; you see a caddis worm cannot do without fresh water, even when he -is asleep; so, before going to sleep, he builds a grating over the -entrance. - -"When he wakes up, he has quite a new shape altogether. And this brings -us to those things which Tom said were like 'earwigs.' There are five of -them floating on the water, and two of these are dead. If you look, you -will find five empty caddis cases in the tank." - -"How does he get out of the case?" inquired Tom. - -"Easily enough. Look at the strong pair of pincers he has got for -cutting his way through the silken grating with. No longer burdened with -his heavy case, he floats up to the surface. He crawls up out of the -water into the air. - -"If there are no rushes or floating leaves about, he is sure to drown; -for your caddis is no longer a water insect, but a fly inside a thin -skin. - -"Now, boys, I am going to show you something wonderful." - -Uncle George then took out the three living pup that were floating on -the water, and placed them on the table. The boys watched them for a -long time. - -They were beginning to get impatient, when suddenly the skin of one of -the creatures burst along the back, and a lovely little fly, with brown, -gauzy wings and long feelers, came out. - -After airing its wings for about a minute, it flew to the window. The -other two acted in just the same way. - -"Now, my dear boys, I think you know something about the life of the -caddis fly. For a whole year of his life he is a crawling water insect, -then, for about a single day, he is a lively fly." - -"How does the caddis larva first get into the water?" asked Frank. - -"As an egg, Frank. The female caddis fly lays her eggs in the water. She -sometimes even crawls down right into the water to lay them. - -"A tiny caddis grub, no bigger than this pin-head, comes out of each -egg. As soon as he hatches out, he begins to build his case, to eat, and -to grow; and from the moment of his birth up to the closing up of his -tube, he is scarcely a moment idle." - - - Exercises on Lesson XIV. - - 1. Turn a caddis worm out of his case in the way described in the - lesson. Place the insect in a saucer half filled with water, - and make a rough sketch of it. - 2. When you have finished your sketch, place the empty caddis case in - the saucer, and watch how the creature gets into it. - 3. Make two columns by drawing a line down the centre of a page of - your note-book. In the first column, describe the structure of - the caddis larva and fly; in the second, that of the cabbage - caterpillar and butterfly. Compare them. - 4. In the same way describe the _mode of life_ of the caddis fly - (Column 1), and of the white butterfly (Column 2). - - - - - APPENDIX. - HINTS TO TEACHERS. - - -BUDS.--Twigs of beech, horse-chestnut, lilac, and hawthorn ought to be -taken in in December and placed in water. They should have as much -warmth and light as possible. - -Willow twigs (for catkins) might also be forced in this way. - -SEEDS.--Seeds should be soaked for twenty-four hours and then sown in -sawdust in boxes 4 inches deep. They should be sown in presence of the -pupils. - -In winter these boxes should be kept on the hot pipes in school. The -sawdust should not be allowed to get dry, neither should it be deluged -with water, but kept evenly moist if possible. - -Be careful to use water _not colder than the temperature of the room_ in -which the seeds are grown. Nothing checks growth more effectively than -chilling with icy-cold water. It is a good plan to keep the watering-pan -full of water near the hot pipes, refilling it always after use. - -Seeds germinate best in the dark, but whenever the plumule shows above -the sawdust, the box containing them should be placed in the light. -Sufficient seeds should be sown at one time to supply a plant to each -pupil once a week for at least four weeks. A number of seeds or plants -should be dug up once a week and sketched by the children. Each sketch -should be compared with that of the previous week, and all changes duly -noted down. - -The best seeds to grow are:--Broad bean, common or "large white" maize, -runner bean ("Painted Lady"), French bean, kitchen pea ("Stratagem"), -and white mustard. - -A few seeds of white mustard should be sprinkled on a small piece of -moist blotting-paper, and covered over by a small glass bell-jar or an -inverted tumbler. In less than a week the root-hairs may be seen. - -If hot-water pipes are available, the following seeds should be grown, -as their germination is interesting:--date stones, walnuts, chestnuts, -almonds, cherry stones, orange pips, seeds of cucumber and sunflower. - -After maize and bean (or pea) plants have reached the height of 5 -inches, they should be transferred to bottles of tap water--as described -at the end of Lesson VI.--and the continuous growth sketched and noted -from week to week. - -POND AND DITCH HUNTING.--Make a ring of stout brass wire about 8 or 10 -inches in diameter, and to this attach a bag net made of mosquito -netting not more than 9 inches deep. In making the wire ring, leave -attached to it about 5 inches of the twisted ends of the wire. Such a -net as this can be easily carried and quickly attached to the end of a -walking-stick by means of a piece of string. - -The best "finds" are often made by sweeping the net under banks and -among pond weeds. - -FROG SPAWN.--Frog spawn is abundant in ponds and ditches everywhere in -March. It should be kept immersed in as much water as possible in a -large vessel, preferably of glass. Whenever the water show signs of -fouling, it should be changed; but, as changing water containing -tadpoles is somewhat difficult, the fewer changes the better. - -As in the case of seed growing, the development of the tadpole should be -learnt by weekly sketches and notes. - -NEWTS.--Newts can be taken with the gauze-net or in the following -way:--Tie a piece of small worm on to the end of a cotton thread -fastened to the end of a willow or hazel switch. Cast into the part of -the pond where the newts are, and await results. - -Live newts, fish, frog spawn, etc., may be obtained from Messrs Willson, -Live Stock Providers, 37 New Oxford Street, London; Thomas Bolton, 25 -Balsall Heath Road, Birmingham, and other dealers. Newts should be fed -once a day on pieces of small worms. - -CATERPILLARS.--Caterpillars and pup, if not obtainable in local woods, -fields, and gardens, can be had from Messrs Watkins & Doncaster, 36 -Strand, London, and others. - -CADDIS LARV.--Caddis worms are to be found in almost every stream, -pond, and ditch. Most of them are vegetable feeders: therefore a -plentiful supply of water weeds should be placed in their tank. -Carnivorous caddis worms may be fed on small pieces of raw meat. (See -Stickle-backs.) - -STICKLE-BACKS.--Stickle-backs are common in canals and streams. They are -easily caught with the net. They should be fed once a day on grated -biscuit, and occasionally on raw meat. The meat should be chopped very -fine, and then pressed through a piece of perforated zinc. Very little -food suffices. If too much is put in, the residue should be removed by -means of a glass tube, as described in Lesson IX., p. 56. If no green -water plants are obtainable, the water should be changed at least every -second day by means of a siphon. Once a month is quite often enough if -sufficient green plants are kept in the tank and decaying matter -carefully removed. Do not over-stock--few fishes and much water is the -rule. - -WATER PLANTS.--It is best to take the water plants which are found -growing locally. The following are fairly common:--_Elodea canadensis_, -water millfoil; _Potamogeton_ (_nitens_, _crispus_, or _filiformis_), -"water soldier"; _Vallisneria spiralis_, _Chara_, _Nitella_, water -star-wort and watercress. A good selection of excellent aquarium plants -are advertised at a cheap rate by the Solway Fishery Co., Dumfries. -Water plants, if not rooted in the tank, should be renewed occasionally. - -LARV CAGE.--Take four square pieces (about 1 inches square) of wood, -each a foot long, and nail or screw them upright into the four corners -of a square piece of -inch deal measuring a foot each way. Stretch -mosquito netting over sides, end, and top, arranging that one side can -be opened. This can be managed by fastening the last fold of netting to -one of the upright posts by three drawing-pins. Fresh leaves should be -supplied daily. For those caterpillars which pupate in the soil, a -shallow earthenware flower-pot--known in the trade as a -"seed-pan"--should be supplied. The seed-pan should be filled with soil, -the pup placed on the surface, and a layer of moss placed over them. -Once a week the moss should be dipped in water, squeezed almost dry, and -replaced on the pup. - -AQUARIUM.--Procure from a local florist or seedsman what is known as a -"propagating bell." These cost from 1s. up to 2s. 6d. A block of wood 12 -inches square and 4 or 5 inches in thickness is also required. Bore a -hole about 2 inches in diameter right through the centre of the block, -to hold the knob of the bell. Then, with a gouge chisel, make a -saucer-shaped hollow round the hole, to roughly fit the rounded end of -the bell. Before fitting the bell into the block, interpose a thin layer -of moss. - -This makes an excellent aquarium--elegant and serviceable. Keep the -aquarium in a window, but shade it from bright sunlight. - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Retained publication information from the printed exemplar (this eBook - is in the public domain in the country of publication.) - ---Only in the text versions, delimited italicized text with - _underscores_. - ---Silently corrected several typos. - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The 'Look About You' Nature Study -Books, Book 3 (of 7), by Thomas W. 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clear:both; margin-left:2em; } - .toc dd.t { text-align:right; clear:both; margin-left:4em; text-indent:0em; } - .toc dt a, .toc dd a { text-align:left; clear:right; float:left; } - .toc dt.sc { text-align:right; clear:both; font-variant:small-caps; } - .toc dt.scl { text-align:left; clear:both; font-variant:small-caps; } - .toc dt.sct { text-align:right; clear:both; font-variant:small-caps; margin-left:1em; } - .toc dt.jl { text-align:left; clear:both; font-variant:normal; } - .toc dt.scc { text-align:center; clear:both; font-variant:small-caps; } - .toc dt span.jl { text-align:left; display:block; float:left; } - .toc dt.jr { font-style:normal; } - .toc dt a span.cn, .toc dt span.cn, dt span.cn { width:3.5em; text-align:right; margin-right:.7em; float:left; } - - /* FOOTNOTES */ - sup, a.fn { font-size:75%; vertical-align:100%; line-height:50%; font-weight:normal; } -</style> -</head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The 'Look About You' Nature Study Books, -Book 3 (of 7), by Thomas W. Hoare - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The 'Look About You' Nature Study Books, Book 3 (of 7) - Birds, Seed Eaters and Insect Eaters, A Baby Plant, Uncle - George's Tank, Tadpoles, Frogs - -Author: Thomas W. Hoare - -Release Date: October 16, 2015 [EBook #50237] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LOOK ABOUT YOU NATURE STUDY, VOL 3 *** - - - - -Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Stephen Hutchson, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - -<div id="cover" class="img"> -<img id="coverpage" src="images/cover.jpg" alt="The Look About You Nature Book, No. 3" width="500" height="718" /> -</div> -<div class="img" id="fig1"> -<img src="images/illus04.jpg" alt="" width="570" height="800" /> -<p class="caption">Birds in Winter</p> -</div> -<div class="box"> -<h1><span class="small">The -<br />“LOOK ABOUT YOU”</span> -<br />Nature Study Books</h1> -<p class="center"><span class="smaller">BY</span> -<br />THOMAS W. HOARE -<br /><span class="smaller">TEACHER OF NATURE STUDY -<br />to the Falkirk School Board and Stirlingshire County Council</span></p> -<p class="center"><span class="large"><b>BOOK III.</b></span></p> -<div class="img" id="fig2"> -<img src="images/illus05.jpg" alt="Publisher’s Logo" width="200" height="202" /> -</div> -<p class="center">LONDON: T. C. & E. C. JACK -<br /><span class="small">16 HENRIETTA STREET, W.C. -<br />AND EDINBURGH</span></p> -</div> -<p class="center small"><i>Printed by M‘Farlane & Erskine, Edinburgh.</i></p> -<h2>PREFACE.</h2> -<p>This little book should be used as a simple guide to -the practical study of Nature rather than as a mere reader.</p> -<p>Every lesson herein set down has, during the author’s -many years’ experience in teaching Nature Study, been -taught by observation and practice again and again; and -each time with satisfactory result. The materials -required for most of the lessons—whether they be obtained -from the naturalist-dealer or from the nearest hedge, -ditch, or pond—are within everybody’s reach.</p> -<p>There is nothing that appeals to the heart of the -ordinary child like <i><b>living things</b></i>, be they animal or -vegetable, and there is no branch of education at the -present day that bears, in the young mind, such excellent -fruit as the study of the simple, living things around us.</p> -<p>Your child is nothing if not curious. He wants to -understand everything that lives and moves and has its -being in his bright little world.</p> -<p>Nature Study involves so many ingenious little deductions, -that the reasoning powers are almost constantly -employed, and intelligence grows proportionately. The -child’s powers of observation are stimulated, and his -memory is cultivated in the way most pleasing to his -inquiring nature. By dissecting seeds, bulbs, buds, and -flowers, his hand is trained, and methods expeditious -and exact are inculcated. By drawing his specimens, -no matter how roughly or rapidly, his eye is trained -more thoroughly than any amount of enforced copying -of stiff, uninteresting models of prisms, cones, etc., ever -could train it.</p> -<p>The love of flowers and animals is one of the most -commendable traits in the disposition of the wondering -child, and ought to be encouraged above all others.</p> -<p>It is the author’s fondest and most sanguine hope that -the working out of the exercises, of which this booklet -is mainly composed, may prove much more of a joy than -a task, and that the practical knowledge gained thereby -may tempt his little readers to study further the great -book of Nature, whose broad pages are ever open to us, -and whose silent answers to our manifold questions are -never very difficult to read.</p> -<p><span class="lr">T. W. H.</span></p> -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> -<dl class="toc"> -<dt class="jr small"><span class="jl"><span class="small">LESSON</span></span> <span class="small">PAGE</span></dt> -<dt><span class="cn">I. </span><a href="#c1">Birds in Winter</a> 7</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">II. </span><a href="#c2">Seed-Eaters and Insect-Eaters</a> 12</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">III. </span><a href="#c3">Buds</a> 16</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">IV. </span><a href="#c4">A Baby Plant</a> 25</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">V. </span><a href="#c5">How a Plant Grows</a> 30</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">VI. </span><a href="#c6">More about Seeds</a> 36</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">VII. </span><a href="#c7">The Horse Pond in Spring</a> 44</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">VIII. </span><a href="#c8">Uncle George’s Tank</a> 49</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">IX. </span><a href="#c9">Tadpoles</a> 54</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">X. </span><a href="#c10">Frogs, Toads, and Newts</a> 61</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XI. </span><a href="#c11">Underground Stems</a> 66</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XII. </span><a href="#c12">Caterpillars</a> 76</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XIII. </span><a href="#c13">The White Butterfly</a> 82</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XIV. </span><a href="#c14">The Toiling Caddis</a> 88</dt> -<dt><span class="cn"> </span><a href="#c15">Appendix</a> 95</dt> -</dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_7">7</div> -<h1 title="">“LOOK ABOUT YOU.” -<br /><span class="small">BOOK III.</span></h1> -<h2 id="c1">I.—BIRDS IN WINTER.</h2> -<p>“When we look out there, it makes us feel thankful -that we have a nice cosy room to play in and a warm fire -to sit beside.”</p> -<p>It was Uncle George who spoke. His two nephews, -Frank and Tom, stood at the window watching the birds -feeding outside, while Dolly, their little sister, was busy -with her picture-blocks on the carpet.</p> -<p>“Yes, it is better to be inside in winter,” said Frank, -the elder boy. “These poor little birds must have a hard -time out in the cold all night.”</p> -<p>“I should not mind being a bird during the rest of -the year, though,” said little Tom. “It must be so jolly -to be able to fly wherever you like.”</p> -<p>Uncle George smiled, and said, “Birds are very happy -little creatures, Tom, but they have many enemies. Their -lives are in constant danger. They must always be on -the look-out for cats, hawks, guns, and cruel boys. Those -birds that stay with us all the year round have often a -<span class="pb" id="Page_8">8</span> -hard fight for life in winter-time. In fact, many of -them starve to death.</p> -<p>“Most of our birds fly to warmer countries in autumn, -and come back to us in spring. These miss the frost -and snow, but a great number of them get drowned -while crossing the sea. I think, as a little boy, you are -much better off.</p> -<p>“Let me see; have you put out any food for the -birds this morning?”</p> -<p>“Yes, Uncle George, we have done exactly as you -told us,” said Frank. “Mother made a little net, which -we filled with suet and scraps of meat for the tomtits. -We hung it on the ivy, quite near the window. We -also put plenty of crumbs and waste bits from the -kitchen on the space you cleared for the birds yesterday.”</p> -<p>“Very good,” said Uncle George, “and I see your -feathered friends are busy in both places.”</p> -<p>He looked out and saw a crowd of birds hopping -on the frozen lawn round the well-filled dish. The -little net, which hung just outside the window, was -alive with hungry tomtits. They pecked eagerly at -the suet, and chattered their thanks between every -mouthful.</p> -<p>“What a lot of birds we have to-day,” Uncle George -remarked. “Do you know the names of them all, -boys?”</p> -<p>“We know those you pointed out to us yesterday,” -said Frank. “There is the chaffinch, the thrush, the -greenfinch, the blackbird, and the hedge-sparrow, but -I don’t know that one with the bright red breast, black -velvet head, and grey wings. And there is a new one -among the tomtits. He has a very long tail, and is -like a small parrot.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_9">9</div> -<div class="img" id="fig3"> -<img src="images/illus11.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="729" /> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_10">10</div> -<p>“Oh,” said Uncle George, “the first you spoke of is -the bullfinch. He is so easily tamed that he makes a -splendid pet. The hen bullfinch is there too, I see. -She has a dull brown breast, and is not quite so -pretty as her husband. The bullfinch is very fond of -berries. If we could get some hawthorn or rowan -berries, we should have all the bullfinches in the -district around us. The other bird is the long-tailed -tit. He is also a very amusing little chap.”</p> -<div class="img" id="fig4"> -<img src="images/illus12.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="360" /> -<p class="caption">Bullfinches.</p> -</div> -<p>“Why do the tomtits make such a fuss about the -suet?” asked Tom. “The bullfinches do not come -near it.”</p> -<p>“That is because the tomtit is a flesh-eater, Tom. -He lives on insects. The bullfinch feeds on berries -<span class="pb" id="Page_11">11</span> -and seeds. He is also blamed for eating the young -buds of fruit-trees in spring-time, but I am not quite -sure that he does this.”</p> -<p>“Where are all the insects in winter, Uncle -George?” asked Frank.</p> -<p>“Well, most of them are buried deep in the ground. -Some of them are tucked up in warm cases, and hidden -in the chinks of trees and walls.”</p> -<p>“Then why don’t the birds that feed on insects -search those trees and walls for them,” Frank asked.</p> -<p>“So the birds do, but the sleeping insects are very -hard to find. The cases which hold them are often -coloured exactly like the tree or wall which they are -fixed to; so that even the sharp eyes of a hungry bird -cannot see them.”</p> -<h3>Exercises on Lesson I.</h3> -<dl class="ex"><dt>1. Write out the names of all the wild birds you have seen.</dt> -<dt>2. Some of these we do not see in winter. How is this?</dt> -<dt>3. Why should we remember the birds in winter-time?</dt> -<dt>4. Describe the robin. How does he differ from the bullfinch?</dt></dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_12">12</div> -<h2 id="c2">II.—SEED-EATERS AND INSECT-EATERS.</h2> -<p>The snow did not go away for some days. While -it lasted, Frank and Tom watched the birds very -closely. They learned many new and curious things -about them.</p> -<p>The sparrows and robins had grown so tame that -they would fly right up to the window-sill, and eat the -crumbs and seeds that were placed there for them; -while the tomtits paid great attention to the little net -bag that hung quite close -to the window. So long -as they stood back a -short distance from the -window, the two boys -could watch the funny -tricks of these hungry -little visitors.</p> -<p>Amongst other things, -they learned to tell a -seed-eating bird from one -that feeds on insects.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig5"> -<img src="images/illus14.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="568" /> -<p class="caption">Tomtits.</p> -</div> -<p>Seed-eating birds, as -their uncle told them, -have short, stout, hard -bills, just the thing for shelling seeds. The insect-eaters -have longer and more slender bills; while birds -that live upon both seeds and insects have bills hard -<span class="pb" id="Page_13">13</span> -enough to shell seeds and yet long and sharp enough -to pick insects out of their hiding-places.</p> -<p>So many birds came to the feast, that Uncle George -cleared the snow from another part of the lawn and -spread some dry ashes upon it. Upon one patch he -scattered seeds and crumbs, and on the other he placed -a large flat dish.</p> -<p>In this dish were put all sorts of waste scraps from -the kitchen, such as bones, -potatoes, and pieces of -meat. Uncle George did -this so that the boys could -tell flesh-eating birds from -those that lived upon -seeds.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig6"> -<img src="images/illus15.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="333" /> -<p class="caption">Starling.</p> -</div> -<p>The starlings came to -the dish first, and fought -among themselves for the -food, although there was -much more than enough for them all.</p> -<p>Then came a few rooks, who walked about the -dish in quite a lordly way. Every now and again one -of them would seize a huge crust of bread or a potato -in his clumsy bill and fly with it a short distance away. -The starlings, thrushes, and blackbirds hopped nimbly -about, picking up a choice morsel here and there.</p> -<p>The new patch was often crowded with finches of -all kinds. The boys noticed that many of the birds fed -at both places. Among these were sparrows, robins, -chaffinches, thrushes, and starlings. These birds, their -uncle explained to them, fed on a mixed food of insects, -seeds, and fruits.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_14">14</div> -<p>It amused them very much to watch how the rooks -and jackdaws always dragged the food away from the -dish, as if they were stealing it; while now and then a -blackbird would fly away with a loud chatter, as if he -had been suddenly found out whilst doing something -very wrong.</p> -<p>“These birds,” said Uncle George, “are looked -upon as enemies by farmers and gardeners. They are -scared out of our fields and gardens by every possible -means. That is what makes them steal even the food -that is given to them.”</p> -<div class="img" id="fig7"> -<img src="images/illus16.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="277" /> -<p class="caption">Rook.</p> -</div> -<p>“But they pick the newly-sown seeds out of the -ground, and steal the fruit when it is ripe,” said Frank. -“That is what the gardener says.”</p> -<p>“If the gardener only knew how much they help -him, by eating up the grubs and beetles that damage -his plants, he would not grudge them a few seeds and -berries, Frank,” Uncle George replied. “The rook is -<span class="pb" id="Page_15">15</span> -one of the farmer’s best friends; and if it were not for -thrushes, starlings, blackbirds, and such insect-eating -birds, our gardens would be overrun with insects. If -these insects were allowed to increase, we should not -be able to grow anything. Even the sparrow is the -gardener’s friend. He eats the caterpillars that would -spoil our fruit trees and bushes.”</p> -<h3>Exercises on Lesson II.</h3> -<dl class="ex"><dt>1. Why do we put out suet and scraps of meat for certain birds in winter?</dt> -<dt>2. How can you tell a flesh-eating from an insect-eating bird?</dt> -<dt>3. Write down the names of all the birds which belong to the crow family.</dt> -<dt>4. What makes the jackdaw steal all his food?</dt> -<dt>5. Why are jackdaws, rooks, sparrows, starlings, and blackbirds said to be “the farmer’s friends”?</dt></dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_16">16</div> -<h2 id="c3">III.—BUDS.</h2> -<p>Uncle George and the two boys had been for a long -walk. They brought home a lot of twigs which they -had cut from trees at the roadside.</p> -<p>Uncle George placed some of these twigs in bottles -filled with water. These bottles were placed in the -window, so that they could get plenty of sunlight. The -rest of the twigs were laid upon the table.</p> -<p>“Now, boys,” said Uncle George, “we are going to -find out what buds are. Here is a twig of the horse-chestnut -tree, and here is one of the beech tree. Do -you notice any difference between them?”</p> -<p>“Oh, yes,” said Frank, “they are very different. The -beech buds are longer.”</p> -<p>“Anything else?” his uncle asked.</p> -<p>“The horse-chestnut buds have sticky stuff all over -them,” said Tom.</p> -<p>“Quite right,” said Uncle George. “On the beech -twig the buds are placed singly on opposite sides. On -the horse-chestnut twig the buds are in pairs.”</p> -<p>Then Uncle George cut one of the buds through -with his knife, and they saw that a great number of -thick scales were folded round a little green thing in -the centre. They saw also a mass of woolly stuff between -the scales and the little green object.</p> -<p>Uncle George gave each of the boys a twig, and -showed them how to take the scales off the top bud -<span class="pb" id="Page_17">17</span> -with a large needle. The outside scales were not easily -removed. They were so sticky—they stuck to everything -that touched them, and soon the boys’ fingers -were covered with the sticky stuff. As they went on -with their work, they found out that the inner scales -were not sticky. At last they got all the scales off, and -there was nothing left but a tiny woolly mass. On -teasing out, this woolly bundle was found to be a little -branch bearing small leaves. Every part of it was -covered with wool.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig8"> -<img src="images/illus19.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="442" /> -<p class="caption">Twigs of Beech and Chestnut, showing Buds.</p> -</div> -<p>“Now,” said Uncle George, “you can perhaps tell -me what a bud is.”</p> -<p>“It is just a little baby branch, snugly tucked up in -a tiny blanket and well covered over with many scale-leaves,” -said Frank.</p> -<p>“Very good,” said Uncle George. “Now tell me -<span class="pb" id="Page_18">18</span> -why it is tucked up in this warm blanket, and perhaps -Tom can tell us what the sticky stuff on the outer -scales is for.”</p> -<p>“I am sure I cannot tell,” said Frank.</p> -<p>“Just think,” said his uncle kindly. “Why did -you call it a <i><b>baby</b></i> branch? Is it because it is so small, -or because it is so snugly wrapped up? Why are babies -wrapped up in soft warm clothing?”</p> -<p>“Oh, I know now,” said Frank, “The woolly stuff is -to keep out the winter cold.”</p> -<p>“And the sticky stuff on the outside,” said Tom, -“must be for keeping out the rain.”</p> -<p>“You are both right,” said Uncle George. “Buds are -formed in autumn and early winter. They are, as you -have seen, very tender little things. Frost or wet -would kill them. But rolled up in soft woolly clothing, -covered in with many thick scale-leaves, and made quite -waterproof by a thick coat of the sticky stuff, they do -not fear the cold.</p> -<p>“If you look at your twigs again, you will find that -in taking off the scales you have left a thick ring of -marks right round the twig.</p> -<p>“Now, if you look down the twig, you will notice -another ring of such marks. These are the scale-marks -of last year’s bud. The part of the twig -in between these two ring marks is a year’s -growth.”</p> -<p>“There is a third ring on mine farther down the -stem,” said Frank.</p> -<p>“Yes, and another farther down still,” said Uncle -George. “These are the bud marks of former years. -Let us measure the distance between them, for in this -way we can tell the kind of summers we have had in -past years.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig9"> -<img src="images/illus21.jpg" alt="" width="579" height="801" /> -<p class="caption">Hedge and Trees in early Spring</p> -</div> -<div class="img" id="fig10"> -<img src="images/illus23.jpg" alt="" width="571" height="799" /> -<p class="caption">Plants protected by Thorns and Prickles</p> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_23">23</div> -<p>“Last year’s growth, you see, is two inches. The -growth of the year before is three inches, and the one -beneath that is four and a half inches. This tells us -that there was very little sunshine during last summer -or the summer before, and that three years ago there -was a warm summer, causing much -growth.”</p> -<p>“I see some other strange marks -on the twig,” said Tom.</p> -<p>“Oh, you mean the horse-shoe -marks. These are the scars left by -the big green leaves which fell off -in autumn. You will find one of -these curious horse-shoe marks -under each bud.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig11"> -<img src="images/illus25.jpg" alt="" width="321" height="500" /> -<p class="caption">Hawthorn Twigs.</p> -</div> -<p>“Here is a hawthorn twig. I -brought it to let you see another -way in which plants protect their -buds. In the hawthorn the buds -usually occur in pairs together. Between each pair of -buds there is a long sharp thorn.</p> -<p>“The reason why every pair of buds is guarded in -this way is very clear. The horse-chestnut and beech -have tall, stout stems, which rear up their branches -far out of the reach of grazing animals. The hawthorn -is a low growing tree. Its branches are within easy -reach, and its tender buds would be nipped off by -sheep and cattle if it were not for these sharp thorns.</p> -<p>“The thorns also prevent the buds from being -knocked off by anything rubbing against the hawthorn -<span class="pb" id="Page_24">24</span> -hedge. You will notice that each thorn is very much -longer than the buds beside it. These thorns can give -a very cruel prick, as every boy knows who has tried -to cut a twig from the hawthorn hedge.</p> -<p>“By and by we shall see that there are many plants -which arm themselves against animals in this way.”</p> -<h3>Exercises on Lesson III.</h3> -<dl class="ex"><dt>1. Take in twigs with buds on them in December. Place them in water, and watch them from day to day.</dt> -<dt>2. Select one bud, and make a drawing of it every third day from the time it begins to open. Keep your drawings.</dt> -<dt>3. How are buds protected? (1) from cold; (2) from animals.</dt> -<dt>4. What causes the “horse-shoe” marks on horse-chestnut twigs?</dt> -<dt>5. Make a drawing of a small beech twig, showing buds and leaf-scars.</dt></dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_25">25</div> -<h2 id="c4">IV.—A BABY PLANT.</h2> -<p>“To-day,” said Uncle George, “we are going to try -to find out something about seeds.” And he placed -upon the table a saucerful of beans which had been -soaking in water for two days.</p> -<p>“First let us look at the seeds as they are when -we get them from the shop,” he said, laying a handful -of hard, wrinkled beans upon the table.</p> -<p>“They are as hard as stones, and very much -smaller than those we soaked,” said Frank.</p> -<p>“Yes, that is one thing we have learned about -them already. Seeds take in water and swell greatly.” -As he spoke, Uncle George gave Frank, Tom, and -Dolly each a small knife and a needle mounted in a -handle. He then laid a small magnifying glass on the -table.</p> -<p>“Take a soaked bean and look at it well,” he said. -“First we will look at the outside of it, then we will -see what it has inside.”</p> -<p>“My bean is covered all over with a smooth skin,” -said Dolly.</p> -<p>“And there is a long black mark on one side of it,” -Tom added.</p> -<p>“Come on, Frank,” said his uncle, “haven’t you -got something to say.”</p> -<p>“It is sort of kidney-shaped,” said Frank.</p> -<p>“Nothing more?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_26">26</div> -<p>Frank shook his head.</p> -<p>“Squeeze it,” said Uncle George, “and tell me what -you see.”</p> -<p>“Oh, there is water oozing out of a little hole at -the end of the black mark,” said Frank.</p> -<p>“That shows us that the seed is not quite covered -by its skin,” said their uncle. “That little hole is -there to allow a tiny root to grow out.</p> -<p>“Now let us remove the skin, or skins rather, for -there are two of them. Begin as far away from the -black mark as you can. You see that the outer skin -is tough like leather, while the inner one is soft and -silky. Now, if you pull the skins off gently, you will -find something like a stout little root pointing towards -the little hole you have already noticed. If you look -at the edge of the seed you will notice a thin line or -crack. Putting the knife into this crack, we find that -the seed consists chiefly of two large, flat, white parts -or lobes, with a very small object in between them. -Let us remove one of these white masses, and have a -look at this small object with the glass.”</p> -<div class="img" id="fig12"> -<img src="images/illus28.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="199" /> -<p class="caption">Seed of Runner Bean.<br />(1) outside; (2) inside; (3) baby plant, enlarged.<br /><i>a</i>, shoot; <i>b</i>, root; <i>c</i>, seed coat or skin; <i>d</i>, junction of seed-leaves.</p> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_27">27</div> -<p>Each of the children had a look through the glass -in turn.</p> -<p>“Why,” said Tom, “it is very like what we found -inside the horse-chestnut bud. I can see two tiny -leaves.”</p> -<p>“Remove the little object on the point of your -needle and look at it again,” said Uncle George. “It -has got something that your little horse-chestnut shoot -did not have, I think.”</p> -<p>“There is a little thing like a root,” said Tom.</p> -<p>“It is a little plant with a very fat little root,” -said Frank.</p> -<p>“That is just what it is,” said his uncle.</p> -<p>“Has every seed got a little plant inside it, Uncle -George?” Dolly asked.</p> -<p>“Every seed, Dolly, no matter how small.”</p> -<p>Uncle George split up one of the hard seeds that -had not been soaked, and showed them a little plant -of the same kind inside; but it was so hard and brittle -that he could crumble it up into powder between his -fingers.</p> -<p>“And what are the two large white lobes for?” -asked Frank.</p> -<p>“These are the seed-leaves. They are stores of -plant-food. The young plant is fed by these until its -root grows far down into the soil and its shoot grows -high up into the air—until it is old enough and strong -enough to find food for itself, in fact.</p> -<p>“In the bud, the little shoot is fed by the sap of -the mother-plant. Here, in the seed, we have a baby -plant wrapped up in two coats, one thick and leathery -and the other soft and warm; and, in place of a large -<span class="pb" id="Page_28">28</span> -feeding-bottle, there are two huge masses of plant-food -wrapped up with it.”</p> -<p>“Why do we put seeds in the ground to make -them grow?” asked Frank.</p> -<p>“A seed requires three things to make it grow. -These three things are—<i>water</i>, <i>air</i>, and <i>warmth</i>. We -can grow seeds without soil at all if we give them -these three things. But if either water, air, or warmth -be wanting, your seeds cannot grow.”</p> -<p>“That is why seeds won’t grow outside in winter, -then,” said Frank.</p> -<p>“That is the reason,” his uncle answered. “In -winter there is not enough heat to make seeds grow. -If you sow seeds in a pot of dry soil in summer, and -do not give them water, they will not grow.”</p> -<p>“I think a seed is a most wonderful thing,” said -Tom.</p> -<p>“It is,” said Uncle George, “wonderful indeed. The -most wonderful thing about it is that there is life in it—sleeping -life, awaiting these three things I have told -you about.</p> -<p>“Dried up, and as hard as a stone, it will keep for -years; but when air, warmth, and moisture are given -it, it springs into life and becomes a plant, which -grows, produces seeds, and dies.</p> -<p>“Now, we will plant the rest of the soaked beans—not -in ground, for I want to let you see that the seed-leaves -contain far more food than the tiny plant requires -to feed it until it is old enough to take care of -itself.</p> -<p>“We will plant these seeds in damp sawdust, from -which they can get no food. We will see that they -<span class="pb" id="Page_29">29</span> -get water, air, and warmth, but no food except what -is in the big seed-leaves.”</p> -<p>Uncle George then got a box filled with sawdust, -and placed the beans in it. He arranged them in -different ways. Some beans he placed edgeways, others -longways, others lying on their sides.</p> -<p>“I am doing this,” he said, “to show you that, no -matter how a seed happens to lie in the soil, its root -will always grow down and its shoot will always -grow up.”</p> -<p>He then covered them up with a thin layer of sawdust, -and placed the box in a warm corner of the -kitchen. The boys promised to water the seeds every -day, and to watch them as they grew.</p> -<h3>Exercises on Lesson IV.</h3> -<dl class="ex"><dt>1. Soak some seeds of broad bean (or pea) and maize (or wheat) for twenty-four hours. Plant some in damp sawdust.</dt> -<dt>2. What do you see when you open a bean seed?</dt> -<dt>3. Pick off the little baby plant, and try to draw it big.</dt> -<dt>4. Cut down through the centre (flat side) of a maize seed. Try to make out the little seed plant and the food store.</dt> -<dt>5. Every third day dig up a growing seed and draw it. Put the date beneath each drawing. Keep your drawings carefully.</dt></dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_30">30</div> -<h2 id="c5">V.—HOW A PLANT GROWS.</h2> -<p>Every day the boys watched their buds and seeds -bursting into life.</p> -<p>It was slow work; but, as winter passed slowly away -and they were able to go out for walks more often, they -had much to amuse them. They brought home all sorts -of curious things, and soon had quite a host of living -things to watch.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig13"> -<img src="images/illus32.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="363" /> -<p class="caption">Four Stages in the opening of Horse-Chestnut Buds.</p> -</div> -<p>Three weeks passed before the horse-chestnut buds -showed any signs of opening. By this time they had -swelled out very much. First the sticky scales moved -<span class="pb" id="Page_31">31</span> -apart, then folded themselves backwards out of the way, -and at last fell off altogether.</p> -<p>This moving apart of the scales was caused by the -shoot or branch inside the bud, which was growing -rapidly.</p> -<p>Before the scales fell off, it had burst its way through -them. It was now a large mass of thick leaves all -folded together, and covered all over with a sort of -wool.</p> -<p>Soon these thick leaves moved apart, the woolly -covering came off, and what a month ago was a little -woolly body, so tiny that it had to be picked apart with -a needle, was now a large stout branch, smooth and -green, and bearing beautiful broad leaves.</p> -<p>Some of the buds brought forth small clusters of -little green balls. These the boys at first thought were -berries, but they afterwards found out that they were -flowers.</p> -<p>After all the buds had quite opened out, they began -slowly to wither. Uncle George told them the reason -of this. It was because the branch had been cut away -from the mother-tree, which drew its food from the soil -and air.</p> -<p>The growing buds had used up all the sap which -the cut branch contained.</p> -<p>But by the time their twigs had withered, the buds -outside had began to open—for spring was now at -hand.</p> -<p>The hedges were becoming greener every day. The -birds were heard singing in the woods, and little -green shoots were springing up everywhere under foot.</p> -<p>Frank and Tom brought home opening buds of all -<span class="pb" id="Page_32">32</span> -kinds, and watched the hedges and trees as they walked -daily to school.</p> -<p>Two of the bean seeds were dug up out of the sawdust -every second or third day. In this way the boys -were able to see exactly how a bean plant grows from -seed.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig14"> -<img src="images/illus34.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="471" /> -<p class="caption">Stages in the Germination of the Runner Bean.<br />In 1 and 4, inside of seed, growing baby plant is shown.</p> -</div> -<p>First the seed swells out; then the skin bursts, and -the little plant in between the two masses of plant-food -begins to grow.</p> -<p>The root always grows down straight. The little -shoot always grows upwards.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_33">33</div> -<p>After the root has grown about an inch it begins -to branch; and in about two weeks these branch -branch-roots are searching the soil for food all around -the main root.</p> -<p>The shoot meanwhile is growing in length and -thickness. It remains folded up until it reaches the -air and light. Then its leaves open out and turn from -a creamy colour to bright green.</p> -<p>One small box of seeds was placed in a dark cupboard. -These beans grew much more quickly than -those grown in the light; but they were pale, lank, and -sickly. They never turned green.</p> -<p>From this the boys learned that the green colour of -leaves and stems is due to the action of light.</p> -<p>Uncle George took a few grains of wheat and -placed them upon wet blotting-paper. A tumbler -turned upside down was placed over them.</p> -<p>In a few days the children saw that a few small -roots had grown out from the end of each grain.</p> -<p>When these roots had grown to about half an inch -in length, great tufts of long slender hairs sprang out -all round them near their tips. These, their uncle told -them, were “root-hairs.”</p> -<p>The root-hairs of a plant are so fine that they are -always torn off when we dig or pull a plant out of the -ground. It is by means of these slender root-hairs -that the plant is able to suck water out of the soil; -and this water always contains a very little plant-food -in it.</p> -<p>The boys noticed that the wheat grain did not -sprout in the same way as the bean seed. Instead of -one stout little root, three usually came out. The -<span class="pb" id="Page_34">34</span> -tiny shoot seemed to grow from the <i>outside</i> of the -grain, and the two large masses of plant-food were -missing.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig15"> -<img src="images/illus36.jpg" alt="" width="344" height="500" /> -<p class="caption">Stages in the Germination of Wheat.</p> -</div> -<p>Some wheat seeds were soaked -and cut down the middle. With -the aid of the glass, the boys -saw that in the wheat seed the -baby plant is attached to <i>one</i> -large mass of plant-food, made -up of flour with an outside layer -of bran.</p> -<p>Their uncle then told them -that all the flowering plants in -the world are of two great -families, namely, those whose -seeds have only one food store, -like the wheat grain, and those -whose seeds have two, like the bean.</p> -<h3>Exercises on Lesson V.</h3> -<dl class="ex"><dt>1. Explain all that happens when a horse-chestnut bud opens.</dt> -<dt>2. Why do the buds which you force indoors wither after they open?</dt> -<dt>3. What changes come over your bean seeds as they grow?</dt> -<dt>4. Do the young plants draw any food from the sawdust? If not, what feeds them?</dt> -<dt>5. What three things does a seed need in order to start growing?</dt></dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_35">35</div> -<div class="img" id="fig16"> -<img src="images/illus37.jpg" alt="" width="579" height="799" /> -<dl class="undent"><dt>1. Magnified sections of Maize and Wheat Seeds, showing Young Plant, Food Store, etc.</dt> -<dt>2. Germination of Maize.</dt> -<dt>3. Maize growing in Sawdust.</dt> -<dt>4. Maize growing in Tap Water.</dt> -<dt>5. Bean growing in Bottle over Water.</dt></dl> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_36">36</div> -<h2 id="c6">VI.—MORE ABOUT SEEDS.</h2> -<p>It was raining in torrents outside, and the boys -were a little upset inside, for it was Saturday. They -always looked forward to Saturday, for it was their -great rambling day.</p> -<p>“I’m afraid we can’t get out to-day,” said Frank, -sadly.</p> -<p>“I’m afraid not,” said his uncle. “But that is no -reason why we should sulk. We have those maize -seeds to look over, you know, and by the time we -have done that perhaps the rain will have stopped.”</p> -<p>While Frank and Tom were bringing the boxes of -seeds, Uncle George and Dolly were busy getting out -knives, glasses, mounted needles, and the books they -made their notes and sketches in.</p> -<p>There were four small boxes in all. Each box had -been sown with maize or Indian corn at times a week -apart, so that the plants in one box were five weeks -old, in the next four weeks old, and so on.</p> -<p>“We will begin as we did with the bean. Let us -cut the seed open first.” As he spoke, Uncle George -laid some soaked maize seeds on the table.</p> -<p>“If you look at these seeds carefully, you will -notice a large mark on one of the flat sides of each.”</p> -<p>“I see it,” said Frank. “It is shaped something -like a cone, and its broad end is at the narrow end of -the seed.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_37">37</div> -<p>“It is lighter in colour than the rest of the seed,” -said Tom.</p> -<p>“You are both right,” said their uncle. “Now I want -you to cut the seed longways, right down through -the middle of that mark. Then use your glass, and -tell me what you see.</p> -<p>“Look closely,” said Uncle George, “first into one -half and then into the other.”</p> -<p>“Oh, I see something like a tiny plant,” said Tom. -“It is shut off from a great mass of what looks like -plant-food, just like our wheat grains.”</p> -<p>Tom made a rough sketch of it, and showed it to -his uncle.</p> -<p>“That is the baby plant, and the great mass above -it is plant-food,” said his uncle.</p> -<p>“Come on, Frank. Don’t let Tom do all the finding -out. What have you to say?”</p> -<p>“The maize seed has only one mass of plant-food, -and it does not seem to have two seed coats like the -bean,” Tom replied.</p> -<p>“You are right,” said Uncle George; “but if you -look again you will see that there is a thick layer of -food stuff outside, which is of a different colour from -the rest.</p> -<p>“This is like the bran layer which is round the -food store in the wheat grain.</p> -<p>“This food store is starch, or, as we call it, -<i>flour</i>.</p> -<p>“Now, let us look at the growing seeds. We will -take a few seeds out of each box and see how they -differ.</p> -<p>“The seeds in this box, the last sown, are just a -<span class="pb" id="Page_38">38</span> -week old. You see the root and shoot are just -beginning to show.</p> -<p>“Make a sketch, drawing it as large as you can, -and write under it, ‘Maize seed after a week’s growth.’</p> -<p>“Do the same with a seed from each of the other -three boxes, and when you have drawn them all, tell -me of any differences you notice between the growth -of maize and that of the bean.”</p> -<p>“They do not grow in the same way at all,” said -Frank, as he drew his last sketch. “In the maize -seed the baby plant seems to be stuck on to one of -the flat sides of the seed.”</p> -<p>“What about the roots, Frank?”</p> -<p>“Oh yes, I see that,” Frank went on. “The root -branches out all at once in the maize seed. In some -of these seeds the main root has scarcely grown at all. -Their roots are all branch-roots.”</p> -<p>“And, in the oldest plants, one great leaf rolls -round the shoot and hides it,” said Tom. “In the -bean shoot we saw two leaves quite plainly.”</p> -<p>“Quite right, Tom. Now, boys, compare your drawings -with those you made of the bean. I will grow a -maize and a bean seed together, so that you can watch -the growth of both, and compare them day by day.”</p> -<p>Uncle George then got an empty pickle bottle, and -poured some water into it. Then he took a soaked -bean seed, and, having run a thread through it with a -needle, he hung it inside the bottle. He then corked -the bottle, and placed it in the window.</p> -<p>He next took an old lamp chimney, and made a roll -of blotting-paper to fit the inside of it. This roll of -paper was stuffed with moss. A few maize seeds were -pushed in between the glass and the paper, and the -lamp chimney was placed in a saucerful of water in the -window.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig17"> -<img src="images/illus42.jpg" alt="" width="581" height="800" /> -<p class="caption">Plants that grow like Maize.<br />These plants have but one food mass in each of their seeds.</p> -</div> -<div class="img" id="fig18"> -<img src="images/illus43.jpg" alt="" width="576" height="800" /> -<p class="caption">The Horse Pond in Spring.</p> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_43">43</div> -<p>“Now, boys,” said Uncle George, “I want you to -watch these seeds every day. If you do so, you will -learn how a seed grows into a plant; and you will learn -this not from me, but from the plant itself.”</p> -<p>Uncle George filled a wide bottle with water from -the tap, and fixed one of the five-week-old maize plants -in it by means of a split cork.</p> -<p>“I want you to watch this plant growing,” he said, -as he placed the bottle in the window. “You ought to -draw it once a week. Most people think that plants -draw their food chiefly from the soil. This is a great -mistake.</p> -<p>“Plants take most of their food from the air, as -you will see if you watch the growth of this plant. Of -course, it has a good food store in the seed; but I -think you will be surprised at the growth it makes -from that food store, the bottle of tap water, and -the air.”</p> -<h3>Exercises on Lesson VI.</h3> -<dl class="ex"><dt>1. Make sketches of a soaked bean and of a soaked maize seed.</dt> -<dt>2. Place a few beans (or peas) and a few maize (or wheat) seeds in a box of damp sawdust. Water regularly. After a week dig up a seed of each and draw them.</dt> -<dt>3. Dig up a seed of each at intervals of two weeks, three weeks, and four weeks; draw and compare them.</dt> -<dt>4. Sow in a box of sawdust a few of each of the following—date stones, orange pips, walnuts, chestnuts. Keep the box in a <i>warm</i> place, and watch how these seeds grow.</dt></dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_44">44</div> -<h2 id="c7">VII.—THE HORSE POND IN SPRING.</h2> -<p>When Frank and Tom came home from school one -afternoon, they found their uncle very busy finishing -a net he had made of green gauze.</p> -<p>It had the shape of a shallow bag, and was fixed -to a stout wire ring. This ring was fastened to a -walking-stick with a piece of strong string.</p> -<p>On the table there were three wide glass jars, each -with a piece of cord -tied round the neck to -serve as a handle.</p> -<p>“Now,” said Uncle -George, as he finished -tying the net to the -stick, “now we are all -ready for a visit to that -pond of yours.”</p> -<div class="img" id="fig19"> -<img src="images/illus46.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="446" /> -<p class="caption">Pond-Net and Glass Jars.</p> -</div> -<p>The pond was about -half a mile away, in the -corner of a field near a -wood. A small stream -ran out of it, and joined a larger one a short distance -away. The last time the boys had seen this pond it -was covered with ice, and they had a merry time skating -upon it. When they reached it on this afternoon, -it looked quite different. The grass around its banks -was fresh and green, and rushes were peeping up -through the water.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_45">45</div> -<p>“Listen!” said Uncle George.</p> -<p>“<i>Croak, croak, cr-roak</i>” came from beyond the -rushes, while here and there a little head would bob -up and down in the water.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig20"> -<img src="images/illus47.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="653" /> -<p class="caption">Frog and Spawn in Water.</p> -</div> -<p>“Frogs!” said Frank.</p> -<p>Uncle George nodded, and, stepping to the edge of -the pond, he pulled the net out, and with it a large -mass of what looked like clear jelly, having a large -number of black dots in it.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_46">46</div> -<p>“Bring the largest jar, Tom,” he said, “we are -going to take this home.”</p> -<p>“What is it, Uncle George?” both boys asked at -once.</p> -<p>“It is a mass of frog’s eggs, called the spawn of -the frog,” their uncle replied. “Now, Frank, hold the -jar over the water while I try to pour it in.”</p> -<p>It was no easy matter getting it into the jar. It -fell back into the pond several times before it was at -last got in the jar.</p> -<p>“There,” said Uncle George, as he placed the jar, -now filled with frog spawn, upon the bank. “Now, -let us go to another part of the pond and look for -something else.</p> -<p>“Keep quite still and look into the water. That is -the only way to study pond life. If you move about -you will see very little. Now tell me if you see anything -moving at the bottom of the pond.”</p> -<p>“I see things like little pieces of stick moving -slowly about,” said Tom in a whisper; “but perhaps -it is the water that is moving them.”</p> -<p>“Not a bit of it,” said Uncle George. “They are -not pieces of stick. There is a living creature inside -each of them. We must have some of them, Tom. -They are very interesting creatures.” And Uncle -George put his hand carefully down and picked -several of them up.</p> -<p>“These are caddis ‘worms,’” said Uncle George. -He placed them in the second jar, and filled it up with -water.</p> -<p>Tom then saw that each of the “sticks” was really -a little house, in which was an insect of some sort.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_47">47</div> -<p>The cases were built of all kinds of odds and ends, -glued together by the clever creatures that lived inside -them.</p> -<p>Some were built of little pieces of rush or water-weed, -others of tiny shells, and others of very small -stones.</p> -<p>Each case was open at one end, and from this end -the little dweller came almost half-way out. They could -see his head, his legs, and the fore part of his body as -he moved along, dragging his little house after him.</p> -<p>“Uncle George, come here please,” Frank shouted -from the other side of the pond. “Oh, such a funny -animal—a fish with legs.”</p> -<p>“A fish with legs?” said Uncle George, laughing. -“Oh, we must come and see that.”</p> -<p>“Why, that isn’t a fish, Frank. It is a newt.” -And Uncle George put in the net to catch him. But -the creature was too quick for him. It darted out of -sight.</p> -<p>“Here are two others. Oh, such big ones,” said -Tom, in a loud whisper.</p> -<p>This time Uncle George was luckier. When he -drew up the net there were two large creatures like -lizards in it.</p> -<p>“This is a lucky find, boys,” said their uncle. -“Great crested newts, and what beauties they are!”</p> -<p>The boys were surprised to see him take one of the -newts out of the net in his hand. He turned them over -and looked at them closely before putting them into -the jar.</p> -<p>“Aren’t you afraid they will bite you, Uncle George?” -Tom asked.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_48">48</div> -<p>“No, they cannot bite, and for a very good reason. -They have got no teeth. They are most harmless -creatures.</p> -<p>“But we must be getting home, boys. We have -done well for our first visit to the pond. I will tell you -all about what we have found when we get home, and -you must watch them closely for yourselves.”</p> -<p>“Are we going to keep all these animals?” Frank -asked.</p> -<p>“We will keep them for a little while, so as to -find out what we can about them, then we will put -them in the pond again.”</p> -<h3>Exercises on Lesson VII.</h3> -<dl class="ex"><dt>1. What did the boys find in the pond?</dt> -<dt>2. What other living things may be seen in ponds? Make a list of all the pond creatures you know.</dt> -<dt>3. Why do caddis “worms” build cases round themselves?</dt> -<dt>4. Can newts bite? Give reason.</dt></dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_49">49</div> -<h2 id="c8">VIII.—UNCLE GEORGE’S TANK.</h2> -<p>Uncle George’s tank was very simple. It was made -up of several large glass bells, such as the gardener -uses for covering tender plants.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig21"> -<img src="images/illus51.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="315" /> -<p class="caption">Uncle George’s Aquarium.</p> -</div> -<p>Each glass bell had a nob on the end of it. Uncle -George got a large block of wood for each bell-jar. -This block he hollowed out with a chisel.</p> -<p>He next bored a large hole in the centre of the -hollow to hold the nob. Then he cut a piece of thick -green cloth into a round shape, with a hole in its -centre.</p> -<p>This piece of cloth was placed over the hollowed out -part of the block, and the bell-jar, turned upside down, -was placed in the block so that the glass nob fitted into -the hole.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_50">50</div> -<p>Uncle George fitted up four of these tanks and filled -them with fresh water. The frog spawn was put into -the first vessel. The next was for the newts. The -third one held the caddis worms and some other -curious creatures that had been found in the ditch.</p> -<p>In the fourth vessel were half a dozen pretty little -fishes called stickle-backs, which the boys had caught -in the brook.</p> -<p>Some water weeds and a few water snails or whelks -were put into each vessel, -except that with the frog -spawn in it.</p> -<p>Every other morning -Uncle George changed -the water by means of a -tube which he called a -siphon.</p> -<p>This was a piece of -lead pipe, about two feet -long, and bent in the -middle into the form of -the letter U.</p> -<p>“The water weeds are -very pretty,” said Frank.</p> -<p>“They are,” replied his -uncle, “and they are also -very useful. They help to -keep the water pure. I -should have to change -the water every day if there were no weeds in it.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig22"> -<img src="images/illus52.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="751" /> -<p class="caption">Stickle-backs, Pond Weed, etc., in Aquarium.</p> -</div> -<p>“The whelks also are most useful. They are the -road-men of our ponds and streams. They eat up all -<span class="pb" id="Page_51">51</span> -the waste matter, and so keep the water clean and -healthy.”</p> -<p>It was great fun feeding those little fishes. They -were fed sometimes on raw meat chopped very fine, -sometimes on little pieces of biscuit. At first they were -very shy, but they soon got over that. In less than a -week they were quite at home, and would come up to -the top of the water and take tiny pieces of beef from -the boys’ fingers.</p> -<p>They would swim after Frank’s finger as he drew it -round the tank, and would even leap out of the water -for food that was held out to them.</p> -<p>At times they darted about as if playing “hide and -seek” among the water weeds.</p> -<p>By and by the boys noticed that every time one of -the little fish darted at another, the three cruel spines -rose up on his back, and that he was really trying to -spear his neighbour.</p> -<p>One morning a dead stickle-back was found in the -bottom of the tank. A few days later another little -fish was picked out pale and stiff.</p> -<p>“They are killing one another,” said Frank. “What -shall we do?”</p> -<p>“If any more of this fighting goes on we shall have -to put them back into the brook,” said Uncle George.</p> -<p>“Do they always fight?”</p> -<p>“No, not always—only in spring-time when they are -mating. Look! there is one of them getting very pretty. -He is the victor—the bully of the pool.”</p> -<p>“Let us call him <i>Bully</i>,” said Dolly; “he is -bigger than the others, and oh, so much more -beautiful.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_52">52</div> -<p>Next day another stickle-back was found dead, and -Bully’s colours were much brighter. He darted about -as if the whole tank belonged to him.</p> -<p>He was really a lovely fish now, and he seemed to -know it by the proud way in which he dashed about, -showing off his fine slender body all shiny with crimson, -blue, and gold. He was, as Dolly said, “Just like a -little bit of rainbow.”</p> -<p>But before the evening a very curious thing took -place. Bully seemed to have suddenly lost all his fine -colours; and instead of swimming proudly at the top -of the tank, he slunk sulky to the bottom.</p> -<p>The strange thing was that <i>another</i> stickle-back—a -smaller fish than Bully—was now brightly coloured, and -seemed to be lord of the tank.</p> -<p>“Bully has been beaten,” said Uncle George, “and -his victor has taken not only the courage but the colour -out of him.”</p> -<p>“It serves him right, I think, for being so proud and -so cruel. But what is the meaning of all this fighting -and change of colours, Uncle George?”</p> -<p>“Oh, it is very simple, Frank. There is a lady -stickle-back in the question; and, like the brave knights -of old, our little stickle-backs are trying to win her by -fighting.</p> -<p>“The victor will marry her. They will build a -neat little nest for themselves, and live happily -together.</p> -<p>“To-morrow we will take them back to the -brook, where the weak ones will be better able to -escape.</p> -<p>“In June we will visit the brook. If we are lucky -<span class="pb" id="Page_53">53</span> -enough to find one of their nests, you will see that after -Lady Stickle-back lays her tiny eggs in it, her little -husband guards the home -night and day.</p> -<p>“When the family are -hatching out, the plucky little -stickle-back bravely defends -the nest.</p> -<p>“He drives away water-beetles, -perch, and other fishes -much larger than himself. -For well he knows that these -visitors would quickly gobble -up his darlings if they got -the chance.”</p> -<div class="img" id="fig23"> -<img src="images/illus55.jpg" alt="" width="359" height="500" /> -<p class="caption">Stickle-backs and Nest.</p> -</div> -<h3>Exercises on Lesson VIII.</h3> -<dl class="ex"><dt>1. What is an aquarium?</dt> -<dt>2. Why are water weeds and water snails put into an aquarium?</dt> -<dt>3. How do you feed small fish? Why should you be careful not to put in more than the fishes can eat?</dt> -<dt>4. Where does the stickle-back lay its eggs?</dt></dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_54">54</div> -<h2 id="c9">IX.—TADPOLES.</h2> -<p>The frog spawn, when first put into the big glass -bell, was just a mass of jelly-like stuff studded all over -with black dots.</p> -<p>When looked at closely, it was seen to consist of -many round, clear eggs. Each egg was surrounded by -a thin skin, and had, in its centre, a little round black -ball or yolk.</p> -<p>At the end of a week all these black yolks had lost -their round shape. They were now long and oval. -During the next four days these oval yolks became -little moving animals, each having a head, body, and -tail, but no limbs.</p> -<p>From the head of each there grew out two pairs of -feathery objects. These, Uncle George told the boys, -were gills or breathing organs. Soon another pair of -these feathery gills appeared: so that each little creature -had now three on each side of his head.</p> -<p>By the end of the second week the little creatures -had all wriggled out of the eggs. They hung together -by their feathery gills in little black groups.</p> -<p>“What shall we feed them on?” Frank asked his -uncle.</p> -<p>“They are not at all nice in their tastes,” Uncle -George replied. “They will eat almost anything, from -water weeds up to drowned kittens. If they get nothing -else, they will eat one another, and not mind it a bit.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_55">55</div> -<p>“How dreadful,” said Frank. “Hadn’t we better -give them something to eat now, for fear they may eat -each other up.”</p> -<p>“It wouldn’t do much good giving them anything -to eat now, for they have <i>no mouths</i>.”</p> -<div class="img" id="fig24"> -<img src="images/illus57.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="416" /> -<p class="caption">The Development of the Tadpole.<br />1. Portion of Frog Spawn. 2. Same after ten days. 3. A Newly-Hatched Tadpole. The remaining figures show the same Tadpole at (4) one week; (5) three weeks; (6) seven weeks; (7) eleven weeks; (8) thirteen weeks; and (9) fourteen weeks after hatching.</p> -</div> -<p>“No mouths, Uncle George?”</p> -<p>“No mouths,” Uncle George repeated. “Is it not -curious? For four days the tadpole, or young frog, -has no mouth, and yet during that time he grows a -great deal.</p> -<p>“Four days after he leaves the egg his mouth -<span class="pb" id="Page_56">56</span> -appears. It is a very small mouth, fringed with frilled, -fleshy lips. These lips are moved by a pair of strong, -horny jaws. This mouth is very different from the -wide, gaping mouth of the frog.”</p> -<p>Just as Uncle George had said, the tadpoles ate -nothing for four days. Then their mouths appeared, -and they began to eat the water weeds. But Uncle -George fed them on raw meat. He said it made them -grow quickly. A small piece of raw beef, tied to the -end of a string, was lowered into the tank, and the -tadpoles swarmed around it. What was left of the -beef was pulled out every morning, and a fresh piece -put in.</p> -<p>By this means the water was kept clean, and had -only to be changed once a week.</p> -<p>“Why, they have no gills now,” said Frank one -day, as he was helping his uncle to change the water.</p> -<p>“Oh yes, they have, Frank. They have gills like a -fish now.</p> -<p>“When they are about four weeks old, their feathery -gills go away; but, before this, four gill-slits are formed -in each side of the tadpole’s head.”</p> -<p>Uncle George took a glass tube about twelve inches -long, and placing his thumb tightly on one end of it, -he pushed it down into the water until the other end -was right above a tadpole.</p> -<p>Then he took his thumb off, and the tadpole and -some water shot up the tube. He then replaced his -thumb tightly on the end of the tube, and lifted it out -of the water.</p> -<p>The tadpole and water remained in the tube as long -as he kept his thumb on the end of it. He emptied -<span class="pb" id="Page_57">57</span> -the contents of the tube into a little dish, and Frank -looked at the tadpole with a glass.</p> -<p>“I can’t see the gill-slits,” said Frank.</p> -<p>“Oh yes, you can, if you look closely. What seems -to be a big head is really head and body covered over -by a cloak of skin.”</p> -<p>“Yes, I see the gills now,” said Frank. “They are -red in colour. I also see the cloak. There is an -opening on the left side of it.”</p> -<p>“That is so,” said his uncle. “That opening is -there to let the water into the gills.”</p> -<p>At the end of the fifth week, Uncle George took -some tadpoles out for the boys to look at.</p> -<p>“Do you see any change?” he asked.</p> -<p>“Yes,” said Tom, “they have two things like hind -legs growing out.”</p> -<p>“These <i>are</i> legs,” his uncle said, “and in two -weeks from now these legs will have movable joints -in them.”</p> -<p>Day by day the tadpoles were carefully watched, -and the following wonderful changes were observed.</p> -<p>When about seven weeks old, their hind legs became -jointed, and long toes were formed. The tadpoles were -now able to kick out and swim by means of their long -hind legs. Their gills went away, and they came to the -surface and took mouthfuls of air. They now had lungs -instead of gills.</p> -<p>But the most striking change came at the end of -the eleventh week.</p> -<p>One by one they lost the cloak which covered head -and body.</p> -<p>Under this cloak a pair of fore legs had been folded -<span class="pb" id="Page_58">58</span> -up and hidden for some time. They were now tiny, -wide-mouthed frogs, with long, clumsy tails.</p> -<p>The clumsy tails grew smaller and smaller daily. -At last there was no tail left, and what was at one -time a cluster of black, wriggling tadpoles, was now a -crowd of lively little dark yellow frogs.</p> -<p>The boys wished to keep them longer, but their -uncle told them that they could not do this.</p> -<p>“Your tadpoles are now frogs,” he said. “The frog -is an insect eater. As we cannot give these little frogs -their natural food, we must place them where they can -get it for themselves, or they will die.”</p> -<p>So the frogs were carried back to their native pond.</p> -<h3>Exercises on Lesson IX.</h3> -<dl class="ex"><dt>1. What are tadpoles?</dt> -<dt>2. How old is the frog before his hind legs appear?</dt> -<dt>3. A tadpole seems to be all head and tail. Can you explain this?</dt> -<dt>4. How do tadpoles breathe—(1) when they are first hatched? (2) when they are four weeks old? (3) when they are eleven weeks old?</dt></dl> -<div class="img" id="fig25"> -<img src="images/illus62.jpg" alt="" width="576" height="800" /> -<p class="caption">Frog, Toad, and Newt—showing Eggs of Toad and Newt, and Tadpoles of Frog and Toad</p> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_61">61</div> -<h2 id="c10">X.—FROGS, TOADS, AND NEWTS.</h2> -<p>“I think we had better take our newts back to the -pond now, Frank.”</p> -<p>“Oh, do let us keep them for a day or two longer, -Uncle George. They are getting quite tame.”</p> -<p>As he spoke, Frank drew his finger slowly round -the outside of the glass vessel that held the newts. -One of the creatures swam round, following his finger.</p> -<p>“Look, Uncle George! He knows me.”</p> -<p>“He is hungry, and thinks you ought to have a -small worm in your fingers.”</p> -<p>“<i>Thinks?</i> Uncle George. Can newts <i>think</i>?”</p> -<p>“It looks as if they could, does it not? We feed -these creatures every day, and they have got into the -habit of looking for food every time we come near them. -But here comes Tom with the worms.”</p> -<p>It was curious to watch how the newt acted when -a tiny worm was given it. At first it seemed not to -see the worm, although it was wriggling at his nose. -It crept back slowly about two or three inches, then -all at once it sprang upon the worm and gobbled -it up.</p> -<p>“You must tell us all about the newt, Uncle George,” -said Tom.</p> -<p>“I should like to know how much you two boys -have found out by feeding and watching these two,” -said Uncle George. “So just tell me what <i>you</i> know -<span class="pb" id="Page_62">62</span> -about the newt first, then perhaps I can tell you some -things about newts, frogs, and toads which you do not -know.”</p> -<p>“Well,” began Tom, “the newt lives in water. He -has four feet, with pretty little toes upon them, and a -long tail. He feeds upon worms, tadpoles, and other -small animals, and he swallows them whole, because -he has no teeth.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig26"> -<img src="images/illus64.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="510" /> -<p class="caption">Crested Newt, Male and Female.</p> -</div> -<p>“The male has a huge -crest, and is gay with -bright colours.</p> -<p>“The female has no -crest. She lays her eggs -upon the pond weeds. A -single egg is laid upon a -leaf. The leaf is then -rolled round it, so as to -hide it from enemies.”</p> -<p>“Very good, Tom,” said -his uncle; “but you have -not told us about the newt’s skin.”</p> -<p>“Oh, I forgot that,” Tom went on. “The newt has -a lovely silky skin, which it only wears for about a -week, then it casts it off. Now, tell us something -more about them, Uncle George.”</p> -<p>“The newt does not live in the water all the year,” -said Uncle George. “During autumn and winter great -families of newts sleep together under stones and in -dry holes in the earth. They only go to the pond in -early spring to lay their eggs.”</p> -<p>“Do newts ever become frogs or toads?” asked -Frank.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_63">63</div> -<p>“Oh no, Frank, never. I know what makes you -think that. It is because the young frog, just before -he loses his tail, is very like a little newt.</p> -<p>“Young newts are tadpoles too, but they differ very -much from frog tadpoles. Newt tadpoles live in the -pond for more than a year. They have feathery outside -gills on all that time. Their <i>fore</i> feet are formed first. -If you remember, our frog tadpoles got their hind legs -first.</p> -<p>“Long ago people believed all sorts of absurd things -about the poor, harmless newt. They were afraid to -touch it. Every newt found was killed at once, for it -was thought to have a sting and poison bag. Even at -the present day many people believe that newts and -toads are dangerous animals.”</p> -<p>“How can you tell a toad from a frog, Uncle George,” -Tom asked.</p> -<p>“They are very different from each other, both in -shape and in their ways of living. The toad is a fat, -clumsy animal. His skin is dull and warty. He does -not hop, but crawls or walks lazily along.</p> -<p>“He lives upon flying insects, which he catches with -his curious long tongue. He gets very fat during -summer and autumn.</p> -<p>“Before winter comes on, he looks out a snug hole -under a root or stone. Here he sleeps the whole -winter through.</p> -<p>“In spring he wakes up, lean and hungry, and -betakes himself to the pond.</p> -<p>“The eggs of the toad are laid in the water in long -strings, each like a double row of beads. They hang -gracefully upon the water weeds, and look very pretty.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_64">64</div> -<p>“The toad tadpoles are very like those of the frog. -They go through the same changes.</p> -<p>“The toad also casts his skin, but he does not throw -it away like the newt. He takes his old, cast-off skin, -rolls it up into a neat little ball, and <i>swallows it</i>.</p> -<p>“The frog’s body is more slender. His skin is slippery. -It is not dull and dingy like that of the toad. It is of -a bright greenish yellow colour, marked with black spots -of different sizes.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig27"> -<img src="images/illus66.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="343" /> -<p class="caption">1. Frog. 2. Toad. 3. Frog catching a Fly with its tongue.</p> -</div> -<p>“The frog can change his colour from light to dark. -He has long hind legs which enable him to hop very -high on land and to swim very fast in the pool.</p> -<p>“He likes the long, damp grass, where he catches -flies, beetles, and slugs.</p> -<p>“He sleeps through the winter, buried in the mud -at the bottom of the still pool.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_65">65</div> -<p>“Like the toad, the frog catches his prey by means -of a long, sticky tongue, which darts out of his mouth -whenever an unlucky insect comes within reach.</p> -<p>“His tongue is fixed to the floor of his mouth just -at his lower lip. It is forked at the end. When not -in use, it lies folded back inside his mouth and points -down his throat.”</p> -<h3>Exercises on Lesson X.</h3> -<dl class="ex"><dt>1. Where are frogs, newts, and toads in winter-time?</dt> -<dt>2. How could you tell a toad from a frog?</dt> -<dt>3. What is the difference between young newts (tadpoles) and young frogs (tadpoles)?</dt> -<dt>4. Write the life of a frog (or of a toad) as if told by the creature itself.</dt></dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_66">66</div> -<h2 id="c11">XI.—UNDERGROUND STEMS.</h2> -<p>Uncle George and his three young pupils had been -to the woods. After tea he opened the metal box which -he carried, slung by a strap over his shoulder, whenever -he went out rambling.</p> -<p>This box had in it a pond-net and a couple of wide -bottles. To-night it was half filled with plants.</p> -<p>Before laying them on the table, Uncle George -washed the soil from their roots at the tap.</p> -<p>“Now then,” he said, “let me see how much you -remember of our lesson in the woods. I will begin -with Dolly”—and Uncle George held up a lovely white -flower.</p> -<p>“That,” said little Dolly, “is the <i>wooden enemy</i>!”</p> -<p>Uncle George laughed loudly, and so did the two -boys. Dolly laughed too—she did not quite know why. -She was a merry little girl, who laughed whenever she -got the chance.</p> -<p>“You mean <i>wood anemone</i>, dear, don’t you?” said -Uncle George, as he stroked her pretty curly hair.</p> -<p>“Yes, I <i>mean</i> that, Uncle George; but I can’t say it -properly,” said Dolly, still laughing.</p> -<p>“Oh yes, you can if you try—wood a-nem´-o-ne. It -is easily pronounced. Now Frank, it is your turn. -What is this one with the great number of yellow -petals, the spotted heart-shaped leaves, and the funny -fat roots?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_67">67</div> -<p>“The pilewort, or lesser celandine,” answered Frank.</p> -<p>“Quite right! Now, Tom, here is one for you. -This plant, you see, has broad kidney-shaped leaves -with crimped edges, large yellow flowers, and a coarse -round hollow stem. We found it, if you remember, -growing in the mud at the edge of the brook.”</p> -<div class="img" id="fig28"> -<img src="images/illus69.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="592" /> -<p class="caption">Marsh Marigold.</p> -</div> -<p>“It is the marsh marigold,” said Tom.</p> -<p>“Very good! Now this one?”</p> -<p>As he held it up all three answered at once—“The -primrose!”</p> -<p>“We found this one also growing at the edge of -the brook.” As he spoke, Uncle George held out a -very pretty plant. Its flowers were of a pale pinkish -<span class="pb" id="Page_68">68</span> -blue colour. They were shaped like the flowers of the -wallflower, but were smaller. The flowers were borne -up upon a long stalk which sprang from a rosette of -pretty little leaves.</p> -<p>“It is the <i>lady’s smock</i>,” said Dolly; “I remembered -that one because it is so pretty.”</p> -<p>“Well done, Dolly!” said her uncle proudly. “Now, -I think we have quite enough to go on with. Let us -take these up one by one and examine and draw parts -of them. First take the wood anemone. What do you -call this?”</p> -<p>Uncle George pointed to the stout part of the plant -that had been in the ground.</p> -<p>“The root,” said Frank.</p> -<p>“No, Frank!” his uncle replied. “But that is what -I thought you would say. Now, tell us why you think -it is the root.”</p> -<p>“Because it grows under ground.”</p> -<p>“But roots do not have buds upon them, Frank: and -see! flower-stalk and leaf-stalk spring from it, while -fibrous, or string like, roots hang down from it.”</p> -<p>“It must be a stem, then,” Frank ventured.</p> -<p>“It <i>is</i> the stem,” said his uncle. “We have already -seen that the creeping crowfoot and ground ivy have -stems that creep along on the surface of the ground.</p> -<p>“Many plants have stems which creep along under -ground. This is an underground stem; and this is -another.” Here he pointed to the primrose.</p> -<p>“Why, I always thought that that pink thing was -the root of the primrose,” said Frank; “but I see now -that it is really more like a stem. It has marks upon -it like scars.”</p> -<div class="img" id="fig29"> -<img src="images/illus72.jpg" alt="" width="570" height="800" /> -<p class="caption">Plants with Underground Stems</p> -</div> -<div class="img" id="fig30"> -<img src="images/illus73.jpg" alt="" width="576" height="800" /> -<dl class="undent"><dt>1. Caterpillar, Pupa, and perfect Insect of Tiger Moth</dt> -<dt>2. Caterpillar, Pupa, and perfect Insect of Magpie Moth</dt> -<dt>3. White (Cabbage) Butterfly, Male and Female, with Caterpillar and Pupa</dt></dl> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_73">73</div> -<p>“These are marks where leaves once grew upon it,” -his uncle remarked. “Notice that the primrose leaves -form a rosette on the top of this underground -stem.”</p> -<p>“Is there any reason for these plants having their -stems under ground?” Tom -asked.</p> -<p>“There is a reason for -everything in nature, my boy. -Can’t you see any reason for -this yourself?”</p> -<p>“I see one, I think,” said -Frank; “it enables the plant -to creep out to new soil.”</p> -<p>“That is one very good -reason, Frank. Now, why -should it seek other soil?”</p> -<p>“For food!”</p> -<p>“That is right, Frank. -Those plants which have -underground stems seem to -die down every autumn; but -they are alive all the time under ground, safe from -the frosts and bitter winds which kill tender plants. -And they peep up in a new place in spring.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig31"> -<img src="images/illus75.jpg" alt="" width="331" height="499" /> -<p class="caption">Anemone.</p> -</div> -<p>“Now I want you to tell me why these underground -stems are swollen out so. It cannot be for strength, -for creeping stems don’t require to be strong.</p> -<p>“Fetch me a raw potato, Tom, please!</p> -<p>“Now,” Uncle George continued, “tell me what this -potato is.”</p> -<p>“It is an underground stem,” said Frank.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_74">74</div> -<p>“Yes! Why is it swollen? What do we use the -potato for?”</p> -<p>“For food. Oh, I know,” said Frank, “it is a -food store.”</p> -<div class="img" id="fig32"> -<img src="images/illus76.jpg" alt="" width="280" height="340" /> -<p class="caption">Primrose.</p> -</div> -<div class="img" id="fig33"> -<img src="images/illus76a.jpg" alt="" width="205" height="340" /> -<p class="caption">Pilewort, showing Roots.</p> -</div> -<p>“Of course,” said his uncle. “It is a supply of food -gathered up this year for next year’s plant. Look at -the roots of the lesser celandine. I see Tom has drawn -them. They are swollen. Are they roots, or underground -stems?”</p> -<p>“They have neither leaf marks on them, nor buds,” -said Frank, “I think they must be roots.”</p> -<p>“They <i>are</i> roots,” said Uncle George, “but they are -food supplies all the same.</p> -<p>“There are other underground stems that grow -quickly. Good examples of these are mint, couch grass, -<span class="pb" id="Page_75">75</span> -and sand sedge. The underground stems of these -plants grow so fast that they are always occupying -new ground. They have therefore no need to store up -a food supply like their slower growing neighbours -the primrose, potato, anemone, iris, and many others.”</p> -<h3>Exercises on Lesson XI.</h3> -<dl class="ex"><dt>1. Dig up a primrose plant, and make a rough sketch showing underground stem, roots, and leaves.</dt> -<dt>2. An underground stem may be of use to a plant in three different ways. Can you name them?</dt> -<dt>3. There are two distinct kinds of underground stems—those that grow quickly and those that grow slowly. Name three of each kind, and tell how they differ in shape.</dt> -<dt>4. Compare a potato with a horse-chestnut twig. Supposing your twig to be swollen out with plant-food, what parts of it do the “eyes” of the potato represent? What do the {scars/marks} near the “eyes” represent?</dt></dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_76">76</div> -<h2 id="c12">XII.—CATERPILLARS.</h2> -<p>“We found these upon the dead-nettle.” As he -spoke, Frank opened a small cardboard box and -showed his uncle half a dozen large, hairy caterpillars.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig34"> -<img src="images/illus78.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="262" /> -<p class="caption">Larva Cage.</p> -</div> -<p>“Splendid,” said Uncle George. “We will just put -these into the cage.”</p> -<p>Uncle George, who was a very good carpenter, had -of late been busy in his spare time making a box or -cage for keeping caterpillars in. He called it a <i>larva -cage</i>.</p> -<p>It was a curious looking thing, something like a -small meat-safe. Three sides and the top of it were -covered with gauze. The fourth side was a large pane -of glass. The gauze-covered side opposite to this -opened as a door.</p> -<p>It was divided into an upper and a lower part by -a shelf in the middle, and, by sliding in two pieces of -wood, it could be divided into four tiny rooms.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_77">77</div> -<p>Now that it was finished, Uncle George wanted to -get it stocked, and his two nephews wanted it stocked -too.</p> -<p>“Do you want any more of these woolly caterpillars?” -Frank asked.</p> -<p>“No, Frank, but you can bring me in some more -of a different kind. Or, better still, let us go out into -the garden now and see if we can find any there.”</p> -<p>The gardener beamed with joy when Uncle George -told him what they had come to the garden for.</p> -<p>“Caterpillars?” he said. “I wish you would take -them all, sir. They are the worst vermin in the garden. -Last year they left scarcely a leaf on my currant -bushes.”</p> -<p>Our three friends went straight to the currant -bushes. Here they found a good many pretty little -caterpillars of a creamy colour, richly striped with -orange, and dotted over with black spots. These, -their uncle informed them, were the caterpillars or -<i>larvæ</i> of the magpie moth.</p> -<p>On the cabbages they found several caterpillars of -the large white butterfly. These were bluish green in -colour, with three bold yellow stripes running along -the whole length of their bodies.</p> -<p>“What are these, Uncle George?” Tom asked, as -he turned up a cabbage leaf and pointed to several -white patches on its under side. The leaf next it was -spotted just like it.</p> -<p>“Oh, Tom, how lucky we are! These are the eggs -of the large white butterfly. Now we shall be able to -follow up the whole life of this insect, and a wonderful -life it is. Let us go right in and examine them. Take -<span class="pb" id="Page_78">78</span> -some cabbage leaves and some currant leaves to feed -the hungry caterpillars with.”</p> -<p>“Our larva cage is now quite full,” said Uncle -George, when he had put the caterpillars in.</p> -<p>“Why do you not put them into the same room, -Uncle George?”</p> -<p>“There are two reasons for that, Frank. First, -they live upon different kinds -of food. The hairy caterpillar, -or ‘woolly bear,’ as boys call it, -feeds upon nettles, the cabbage -caterpillar prefers cabbage leaves, -while the currant caterpillar will -only eat currant leaves.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig35"> -<img src="images/illus80.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="406" /> -<dl class="undent"><dt>1. Caterpillar and Eggs of Cabbage Butterfly.</dt> -<dt>2. Egg magnified.</dt></dl> -</div> -<p>“Second, the woolly bear will -sometimes eat up his smooth-skinned -friends. Now, get your -glasses and have a peep at the -beautiful eggs of the ‘large -white’ or ‘cabbage’ butterfly.”</p> -<p>“Why, they are not at all like eggs,” said Frank, as -he closely looked at them with his glass.</p> -<p>“What are they like, Frank?”</p> -<p>“They are like little pieces of carved ivory all -shaped alike,” Frank replied.</p> -<p>“Yes, but that does not give us a very clear idea -of their shape,” observed his uncle. “Come on, -Tom.”</p> -<p>“They are like little Indian clubs with the handles -cut off, only they are beautifully marked with long, -slender ridges and cross bars.”</p> -<p>“That is really a very good account of them, Tom. -<span class="pb" id="Page_79">79</span> -They are arranged in patches. Count and let me know -how many eggs are in each bunch.”</p> -<p>The boys counted all the groups of eggs, and found -that there were eight eggs in some, nine in others, but -that most of them contained ten or more.</p> -<p>“Now, how many egg patches are there?” asked -Uncle George.</p> -<p>“There are seven patches on my leaf,” said Frank.</p> -<p>“And ten on mine,” added Tom.</p> -<p>“That is about one hundred and fifty eggs altogether,” -said Uncle George.</p> -<p>“Has each of these bunches of eggs been laid by -one butterfly?” asked Frank.</p> -<p>“It is more than probable that one butterfly laid -the whole lot,” his uncle replied; “for the white butterfly -lays, as a rule, over two hundred eggs.”</p> -<p>“That is about as many eggs as a hen lays in a -year,” said Frank.</p> -<p>“Yes,” said Uncle George, “a good hen and a white -butterfly lay about the same number of eggs in a year; -but the butterfly lays all her eggs in one day.</p> -<p>“After laying her eggs, she dies. That is perhaps -why she always lays them on the kind of plant which -the young caterpillars can feed upon when they hatch -out.</p> -<p>“Let us look at the caterpillars now. We need not -take them out, as we can easily see them through the -glass side of the cage.</p> -<p>“Notice that the body of the cabbage caterpillar -consists of a round, dark coloured head and a number -of broad, ring-like divisions. How many of these -divisions are there?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_80">80</div> -<p>“Twelve,” said Frank, after counting carefully.</p> -<p>“Right!” said his uncle. “Now, about legs—how -many are there?”</p> -<p>“There are three pairs of legs on the first three -divisions of its body, and a pair of shorter and stouter -legs on each of the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth -divisions, making seven pairs of legs altogether,” Frank -answered.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig36"> -<img src="images/illus82.jpg" alt="" width="384" height="501" /> -<p class="caption">Caterpillars of Magpie Moth.</p> -</div> -<p>“That is quite correct, Frank, -and I am glad you noticed the -difference between the first three -pairs and the others. The first -three pairs are the creature’s real -legs. The others are false or temporary -legs.”</p> -<p>“There is a row of black spots -on the yellow band along its side,” -observed Tom.</p> -<p>“These are its breathing-holes, -Tom. We breathe by our lungs only, but caterpillars -and insects have breathing-tubes all over their bodies.”</p> -<p>“The woolly bear and the cabbage caterpillar move -about in the same way,” said Frank. “But look at -those currant caterpillars, Uncle George, what a -funny way they have of getting along!”</p> -<p>“These belong to a kind of caterpillars known as -‘loopers,’” said his uncle. “They move about by looping -up their bodies in this strange manner.”</p> -<p>“I do not like to handle those hairy caterpillars,” -Tom remarked. “Why are they covered with those -nasty long hairs?”</p> -<p>“You have just given the reason, Tom. You don’t -<span class="pb" id="Page_81">81</span> -like to touch them on account of these hairs; neither -do animals. No bird will eat one of these. If he does, -he will never eat another.</p> -<p>“Notice how they coil up like a hedgehog when they -are touched. This makes them more difficult to -swallow. Just imagine how a bird would feel with one -of these ticklish customers stuck in his throat, eh?</p> -<p>“Now, boys, make a sketch of one of the tiny eggs, -also one of the big cabbage caterpillar, and then we -will go out and have a game of cricket on the lawn.”</p> -<h3>Exercises on Lesson XII.</h3> -<dl class="ex"><dt>1. Where would you look for the eggs of the white butterfly? Why are they always laid upon the same kind of plant, and why <i>under</i> the leaf?</dt> -<dt>2. Explain how caterpillars breathe.</dt> -<dt>3. Take any caterpillars you find. Observe the leaves you find them feeding upon. Give them fresh leaves every day, and watch how they grow.</dt> -<dt>4. Why has the “woolly bear” caterpillar got a hairy coat? What does he usually feed upon?</dt></dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_82">82</div> -<h2 id="c13">XIII.—THE WHITE BUTTERFLY.</h2> -<p>Uncle George had to go from home for a week, and -his two nephews went part of the way to the railway -station with him.</p> -<p>As they were about to take a short cut through the -wood, Uncle George went up to a huge beech tree. -He looked very closely at its grey trunk for a time, then -stepping back from it about three yards, exclaimed:—</p> -<p>“Come here boys! Stand beside me, look closely -at this tree, and tell me if you see any strange objects -sticking to the bark.”</p> -<p>After staring at it for some time, they both declared -that they could see nothing upon it.</p> -<p>“Go nearer—nearer still! Now, do you see anything?”</p> -<p>The boys shook their heads.</p> -<p>“Go quite close up to the trunk and examine it,” said -Uncle George.</p> -<p>“Oh,” said Frank suddenly, “I see queer things like -grubs, coloured almost exactly like the bark. Some of -them are lighter in colour.”</p> -<p>“Look carefully at those lighter ones, and you will -find that they are just empty cases.”</p> -<p>“So they are,” said Frank, as he touched one with -his finger and saw it crush up.</p> -<p>“Notice how they are fixed to the bark!” said -Uncle George.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_83">83</div> -<p>The boys watched as their uncle placed his pencil -under one of the darker coloured objects, and saw that -it was slung up to the tree by a loose silken girdle -round its middle, while a tuft of fine threads fastened -the lower end to the bark.</p> -<p>Suddenly, as if it were annoyed at being touched -by the pencil, the lower half of the object moved from -side to side with rapid jerks.</p> -<p>“Why, it is alive,” said Tom.</p> -<p>“Yes, of course it is,” said his uncle. “This is -another lucky find.”</p> -<p>“What are they?” Frank asked.</p> -<p>“Can’t you guess, Frank? Don’t you remember my -telling you that all the insects were asleep in their -cases during winter.</p> -<p>“Each of these darker coloured cases contains a white -butterfly. They have been here all winter, and they are -just about to hatch out.”</p> -<p>“How do you know that, Uncle George?”</p> -<p>“I know it because the empty cases tell me that -some of the butterflies have just hatched out. This is -what your cabbage caterpillar becomes after he is tired -of feeding.</p> -<p>“You have now seen three different stages of the life -of this insect. First, the curious eggs laid on the under -side of the cabbage leaf; next the greedy caterpillar; -and now, the chrysalis or <i>pupa</i> stage.</p> -<p>“The caterpillar goes to sleep in autumn as a hard-cased -chrysalis, and wakes up in spring a beautiful -butterfly.”</p> -<p>“How strange,” said Frank. “And will our caterpillars -remain caterpillars until autumn, and then tuck -<span class="pb" id="Page_84">84</span> -themselves up like this and go to sleep for the -winter.”</p> -<p>“No, Frank! our caterpillars will go into the chrysalis -state in a week or so, and hatch out as butterflies in -August. These August butterflies will lay eggs. The -caterpillars from these eggs will turn into <i>pupæ</i> in -September.</p> -<p>“These September pupæ will supply the white butterflies -of next spring and summer. Put some of these -into your box. Watch then carefully, and you may be -lucky enough to see the white butterfly coming out of -his winter case.”</p> -<p>“I cannot understand,” said Tom, “how a big white -butterfly can be inside so small a case. It must be very -tightly wrapped up.”</p> -<p>“So it is, as you will see,” said Uncle George. -“Good-bye, boys! and mind, when I come back, I shall -expect to see notes and sketches of all that has taken -place in the larva cage during my absence.”</p> -<p class="center"><span class="gs">* * * * * * * *</span></p><p>“Won’t you let your uncle take his dinner first,” -said Frank’s mother, as she hung Uncle George’s -overcoat up in the hall.</p> -<p>“No, mother! he must come at once,” said the -excited Frank. “There’s a butterfly just coming out.”</p> -<p>“Oh, I must come and see that,” said Uncle George; -and he allowed his eager nephews to drag him towards -the larva cage.</p> -<p>By the time they got to the cage the butterfly had -hatched, but they were in time to see it unfurl its wings. -The wings were crumpled and twisted, but the creature -slowly straightened them out to dry in the sun.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_85">85</div> -<p>“We saw it burst its case,” said Tom. “First a -small slit appeared at the head end. This slit grew -larger. Then the butterfly’s head and feet appeared. -It squeezed its way and was just half way out, with its -wings crumpled round it, when you arrived.”</p> -<p>“I arrived just a minute too late, then,” said his -uncle.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig37"> -<img src="images/illus87.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="338" /> -<p class="caption">White or Cabbage Butterfly and Pupa.</p> -</div> -<p>“Oh, and the eggs have hatched too,” said Tom. -“Look at them now, Uncle George!”</p> -<p>His uncle looked, and saw that the white patches -of eggs had given place to larger patches of little active, -dark coloured maggots.</p> -<p>“We want to know what has become of the lovely -carved shells of the eggs,” said Tom.</p> -<p>“They have been eaten up,” his uncle replied. -“From the moment a caterpillar is born he does nothing -<span class="pb" id="Page_86">86</span> -but eat—eat—eat. He begins by eating the shell of -the egg he comes out of.</p> -<p>“For the first week of their lives these tiny caterpillars -feed together in small bands, and they grow so -fast you can almost fancy you see them growing. -After they have grown to a certain size, each caterpillar -starts out for himself.”</p> -<p>“Do you see the three butterflies that have hatched -out?” asked Tom.</p> -<p>“Yes, I see them. There are two females and one -male,” said Uncle George.</p> -<p>“How can you tell males from females?” asked -Frank.</p> -<p>“Oh, that is easy enough,” Uncle George replied. -“The females are larger, and have two big black spots -on each of their front wings. But I only see eight of -the large cabbage caterpillars. We put in twelve, -I think.”</p> -<p>“Look!” said Frank, pointing to the roof of the -cage.</p> -<p>“Ah, yes, I see them. Two of them have passed into -the pupæ stage, and are slung up by their silken belts -to the wall of the cage.</p> -<p>“The other two are spinning silken belts round the -middle of their bodies, if they have not already done so. -After this belt is finished they will slowly slip their -useless green skins off, and finally get rid of them by -sharply jerking the tail end of their pupa cases.”</p> -<p>“Yes, we watched those other two do that,” said -Tom.</p> -<p>“Notice,” continued Uncle George, “that all your -big cabbage caterpillars have lost their yellow stripes -<span class="pb" id="Page_87">87</span> -and are now of a bluish green colour. They have -stopped feeding, and are now dull and sleepy. This -indicates that they are about to enter the pupa stage.”</p> -<p>“But look at the currant and the hairy caterpillars, -uncle,” said Frank.</p> -<p>“My dear boy,” said Frank’s mother, “Uncle George -must really have food and rest after his long journey. -He will hear about the other caterpillars some other -time.”</p> -<h3>Exercises on Lesson XIII.</h3> -<dl class="ex"><dt>1. Explain why the pupæ of white butterflies are coloured like the objects they are attached to.</dt> -<dt>2. Write the life of a white butterfly, and illustrate your description with sketches of caterpillar, pupa, and butterfly.</dt> -<dt>3. The life of an insect is divided into four distinct stages. Name them. Which is the longest stage in the case of the white butterfly?</dt> -<dt>4. Describe, as you have observed it, the behaviour of a caterpillar as it passes from the larva to the chrysalis form.</dt></dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_88">88</div> -<h2 id="c14">XIV.—THE TOILING CADDIS.</h2> -<p>“Look here, boys,” said Uncle George, “you have -been paying nearly all your attention to the larva cage -during my absence, and have forgotten the caddis -worms.”</p> -<div class="img" id="fig38"> -<img src="images/illus90.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="367" /> -<dl class="undent"><dt>1. Caddis Cases.</dt> -<dt>2. Larva out of Case.</dt> -<dt>3. Pupa.</dt> -<dt>4. Caddis Fly.</dt></dl> -</div> -<p>Uncle George made believe to be cross.</p> -<p>“We changed the water every two days,” said -Frank.</p> -<p>“Yes, I know. But you have not reported any -changes in the creatures themselves. What has been -going on in the larva cage has also been going on -here in the water, for caddis worms are simply water-caterpillars. -<span class="pb" id="Page_89">89</span> -You nearly missed something of very great -interest.”</p> -<p>Uncle George laid three saucers on the table, and -continued:—</p> -<p>“We are going to look into the life of the caddis -fly to-day; but before I take them out of the water, I -want you to tell me what you have noted about them -up to now.”</p> -<p>“They are always climbing up the water weeds,” -said Frank.</p> -<p>“They are always adding to their cases,” said -Tom.</p> -<p>“Some of them have died,” said Frank.</p> -<p>“What?” said his uncle. “Do you mean these at -the bottom of the tank? These are not dead, they -are only asleep. Put your hand in, and take some of -these out.”</p> -<p>“Their cases are stuck to the pond weeds and to -each other,” said Frank, as he lifted a few out, and -placed them in a saucer.</p> -<p>“Ah, I have it, Uncle George! They have gone into -the pupa state. Is that not so?”</p> -<p>Uncle George nodded.</p> -<p>“Look!” exclaimed Tom. “There are things like -earwigs floating on the water.”</p> -<p>“Never mind these just now, Tom,” said his uncle. -“I am coming to them by and by. Observe the -wonderful cases which the caddis worms have made -for themselves.</p> -<p>“Here is one whose case, when we found him, was -made of neatly cut pieces of water rush. He has -almost doubled the length of his case since then; for -<span class="pb" id="Page_90">90</span> -see, the front half is made of cut stalks of water weed -neatly arranged.”</p> -<p>“He has got a fine collar of green pieces round -his neck,” Frank observed.</p> -<p>“Why are they always adding to the length of their -cases?” asked Tom.</p> -<p>“Because they are always growing,” said Frank.</p> -<p>“That is the reason,” said Uncle George; “and they -grow so fast that they have actually to work hard at -building.</p> -<p>“Observe those that make their cases out of tiny -shells and stones. They have made free use of the -coloured beads and small pieces of coal which we -put in.”</p> -<p>“How do they manage to stick these things -together?” asked Tom.</p> -<p>“A caddis worm is a busy creature,” his uncle -replied. “He does two things besides eating and growing. -With those strong pincers, which you see at his -head, he saws off pieces of weed.</p> -<p>“Near his mouth he has got a kind of loom for -spinning silk. These pieces are stuck together with -silk, which is a gluey substance when it first comes -from the creature’s body.</p> -<p>“These rough cases are lined with silk.”</p> -<p>“Why does he have to make a house for himself, -and carry it about with him?” said Frank.</p> -<p>In answer to this, his uncle took out a few of the -active caddis worms, and placed them in a saucer with -water. He held one up.</p> -<p>“You see,” he said, “his case is open at both -ends. Now, if I tried to get him out from the front, -<span class="pb" id="Page_91">91</span> -I should never manage it. This is the way to get -him out.”</p> -<p>As he spoke, Uncle George pushed the head of a -pin into the tail end of the case, and the creature -scrambled out at once.</p> -<p>“It is too bad turning you out of your cosy room, -Mr Caddis,” Uncle George observed; “but you’ll go -back again as soon as you get the chance, won’t you? -I want my nephews to understand why you work so -very hard.</p> -<p>“Now, Frank, you can answer your own question, -I think—‘Why does the caddis worm build a house?’”</p> -<p>“Because he has a soft body.”</p> -<p>“Quite right. But why is he forced to protect his -body?”</p> -<p>“Fishes would eat him.”</p> -<p>“Right again, Frank. If trout could speak, they -might tell you that the sweetest morsel in the stream -is the caddis worm. Now, take your lens, please, and -tell me something about him.”</p> -<p>“His body is divided into rings, and there are the -same number of them as we found in the caterpillar.”</p> -<p>“Very good, Frank. Now give Tom a chance.”</p> -<p>“His head and the first three divisions of his body -are hard cased. They are black and yellow in -colour.”</p> -<p>“He has six legs,” said Frank, “and they are -attached to the first three divisions of his body.”</p> -<p>“What about the last division of his body?” Uncle -George asked.</p> -<p>“Oh, how funny!” said Frank. “It is divided into -two large things like horns.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_92">92</div> -<p>“These,” said his uncle, “are the hooks by which -he fixes himself so firmly in his case.”</p> -<p>“And what are all these curious big bristles for?” -asked Tom. “They are all over his body.”</p> -<p>“These are his breathing organs,” Uncle George -answered. “The caterpillar, if you remember, had -breathing-holes along the sides of his body. By moving -his long body, the caddis worm causes a constant -current of water to pass through his dwelling.</p> -<p>“Look at the fourth segment of his body. How -does it differ from the others?”</p> -<p>“It is the broadest segment,” said Frank, “and -there is a stout rounded thing in the middle -of it.”</p> -<p>“Yes,” his uncle replied, “and if we can get him -turned on his back we shall see two more of these -stout outgrowths below, one on each side of the same -segment. This is really very clever. By it the animal -keeps himself in the middle, so that the current of -water must flow all around him.</p> -<p>“Now, look at the case of a sleeping caddis.”</p> -<p>“The front of the case is closed,” said Frank.</p> -<p>“How is it closed, Frank?”</p> -<p>“Well, there is a network of threads over it,” -answered Frank.</p> -<p>“Yes; you see a caddis worm cannot do without -fresh water, even when he is asleep; so, before going -to sleep, he builds a grating over the entrance.</p> -<p>“When he wakes up, he has quite a new shape -altogether. And this brings us to those things which -Tom said were like ‘earwigs.’ There are five of them -floating on the water, and two of these are dead. If -<span class="pb" id="Page_93">93</span> -you look, you will find five empty caddis cases in the -tank.”</p> -<p>“How does he get out of the case?” inquired Tom.</p> -<p>“Easily enough. Look at the strong pair of pincers -he has got for cutting his way through the silken -grating with. No longer burdened with his heavy case, -he floats up to the surface. He crawls up out of the -water into the air.</p> -<p>“If there are no rushes or floating leaves about, he -is sure to drown; for your caddis is no longer a water -insect, but a fly inside a thin skin.</p> -<p>“Now, boys, I am going to show you something -wonderful.”</p> -<p>Uncle George then took out the three living pupæ -that were floating on the water, and placed them on -the table. The boys watched them for a long time.</p> -<p>They were beginning to get impatient, when suddenly -the skin of one of the creatures burst along the back, -and a lovely little fly, with brown, gauzy wings and -long feelers, came out.</p> -<p>After airing its wings for about a minute, it flew -to the window. The other two acted in just the same -way.</p> -<p>“Now, my dear boys, I think you know something -about the life of the caddis fly. For a whole year of -his life he is a crawling water insect, then, for about -a single day, he is a lively fly.”</p> -<p>“How does the caddis larva first get into the -water?” asked Frank.</p> -<p>“As an egg, Frank. The female caddis fly lays her -eggs in the water. She sometimes even crawls down -right into the water to lay them.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_94">94</div> -<p>“A tiny caddis grub, no bigger than this pin-head, -comes out of each egg. As soon as he hatches out, -he begins to build his case, to eat, and to grow; and -from the moment of his birth up to the closing up of -his tube, he is scarcely a moment idle.”</p> -<h3>Exercises on Lesson XIV.</h3> -<dl class="ex"><dt>1. Turn a caddis worm out of his case in the way described in the lesson. Place the insect in a saucer half filled with water, and make a rough sketch of it.</dt> -<dt>2. When you have finished your sketch, place the empty caddis case in the saucer, and watch how the creature gets into it.</dt> -<dt>3. Make two columns by drawing a line down the centre of a page of your note-book. In the first column, describe the structure of the caddis larva and fly; in the second, that of the cabbage caterpillar and butterfly. Compare them.</dt> -<dt>4. In the same way describe the <i>mode of life</i> of the caddis fly (Column 1), and of the white butterfly (Column 2).</dt></dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_95">95</div> -<h2 id="c15">APPENDIX. -<br />HINTS TO TEACHERS.</h2> -<p><b>BUDS.</b>—Twigs of beech, horse-chestnut, lilac, and hawthorn ought to -be taken in in December and placed in water. They should have as much -warmth and light as possible.</p> -<p>Willow twigs (for catkins) might also be forced in this way.</p> -<p><b>SEEDS.</b>—Seeds should be soaked for twenty-four hours and then -sown in sawdust in boxes 4 inches deep. They should be sown in -presence of the pupils.</p> -<p>In winter these boxes should be kept on the hot pipes in school. The -sawdust should not be allowed to get dry, neither should it be deluged with -water, but kept evenly moist if possible.</p> -<p>Be careful to use water <i>not colder than the temperature of the room</i> -in which the seeds are grown. Nothing checks growth more effectively -than chilling with icy-cold water. It is a good plan to keep the watering-pan -full of water near the hot pipes, refilling it always after use.</p> -<p>Seeds germinate best in the dark, but whenever the plumule shows above -the sawdust, the box containing them should be placed in the light. -Sufficient seeds should be sown at one time to supply a plant to each pupil -once a week for at least four weeks. A number of seeds or plants should be -dug up once a week and sketched by the children. Each sketch should be -compared with that of the previous week, and all changes duly noted down.</p> -<p>The best seeds to grow are:—Broad bean, common or “large white” -maize, runner bean (“Painted Lady”), French bean, kitchen pea -(“Stratagem”), and white mustard.</p> -<p>A few seeds of white mustard should be sprinkled on a small piece of -moist blotting-paper, and covered over by a small glass bell-jar or an -inverted tumbler. In less than a week the root-hairs may be seen.</p> -<p>If hot-water pipes are available, the following seeds should be grown, -as their germination is interesting:—date stones, walnuts, chestnuts, -almonds, cherry stones, orange pips, seeds of cucumber and sunflower.</p> -<p>After maize and bean (or pea) plants have reached the height of -5 inches, they should be transferred to bottles of tap water—as described -at the end of Lesson VI.—and the continuous growth sketched and -noted from week to week.</p> -<p><b>POND AND DITCH HUNTING.</b>—Make a ring of stout brass wire -about 8 or 10 inches in diameter, and to this attach a bag net made of -mosquito netting not more than 9 inches deep. In making the wire -ring, leave attached to it about 5 inches of the twisted ends of the wire. -Such a net as this can be easily carried and quickly attached to the -end of a walking-stick by means of a piece of string.</p> -<p>The best “finds” are often made by sweeping the net under banks -and among pond weeds.</p> -<p><b>FROG SPAWN.</b>—Frog spawn is abundant in ponds and ditches -everywhere in March. It should be kept immersed in as much water -as possible in a large vessel, preferably of glass. Whenever the water -show signs of fouling, it should be changed; but, as changing water -containing tadpoles is somewhat difficult, the fewer changes the better.</p> -<p>As in the case of seed growing, the development of the tadpole -should be learnt by weekly sketches and notes.</p> -<p><b>NEWTS.</b>—Newts can be taken with the gauze-net or in the following -way:—Tie a piece of small worm on to the end of a cotton thread -<span class="pb" id="Page_96">96</span> -fastened to the end of a willow or hazel switch. Cast into the part -of the pond where the newts are, and await results.</p> -<p>Live newts, fish, frog spawn, etc., may be obtained from Messrs -Willson, Live Stock Providers, 37 New Oxford Street, London; Thomas -Bolton, 25 Balsall Heath Road, Birmingham, and other dealers. Newts -should be fed once a day on pieces of small worms.</p> -<p><b>CATERPILLARS.</b>—Caterpillars and pupæ, if not obtainable in local -woods, fields, and gardens, can be had from Messrs Watkins & Doncaster, -36 Strand, London, and others.</p> -<p><b>CADDIS LARVÆ.</b>—Caddis worms are to be found in almost every -stream, pond, and ditch. Most of them are vegetable feeders: therefore -a plentiful supply of water weeds should be placed in their tank. -Carnivorous caddis worms may be fed on small pieces of raw meat. -(See Stickle-backs.)</p> -<p><b>STICKLE-BACKS.</b>—Stickle-backs are common in canals and streams. -They are easily caught with the net. They should be fed once a day -on grated biscuit, and occasionally on raw meat. The meat should be -chopped very fine, and then pressed through a piece of perforated zinc. -Very little food suffices. If too much is put in, the residue should be removed -by means of a glass tube, as described in Lesson IX., p. 56. If no green -water plants are obtainable, the water should be changed at least every -second day by means of a siphon. Once a month is quite often enough if -sufficient green plants are kept in the tank and decaying matter carefully -removed. Do not over-stock—few fishes and much water is the rule.</p> -<p><b>WATER PLANTS.</b>—It is best to take the water plants which are -found growing locally. The following are fairly common:—<i>Elodea canadensis</i>, -water millfoil; <i>Potamogeton</i> (<i>nitens</i>, <i>crispus</i>, or <i>filiformis</i>), -“water soldier”; <i>Vallisneria spiralis</i>, <i>Chara</i>, <i>Nitella</i>, water star-wort -and watercress. A good selection of excellent aquarium plants are advertised -at a cheap rate by the Solway Fishery Co., Dumfries. Water -plants, if not rooted in the tank, should be renewed occasionally.</p> -<p><b>LARVÆ CAGE.</b>—Take four square pieces (about 1½ inches square) -of wood, each a foot long, and nail or screw them upright into the four -corners of a square piece of ¾-inch deal measuring a foot each way. -Stretch mosquito netting over sides, end, and top, arranging that one side -can be opened. This can be managed by fastening the last fold of -netting to one of the upright posts by three drawing-pins. Fresh -leaves should be supplied daily. For those caterpillars which pupate in -the soil, a shallow earthenware flower-pot—known in the trade as a -“seed-pan”—should be supplied. The seed-pan should be filled with -soil, the pupæ placed on the surface, and a layer of moss placed over -them. Once a week the moss should be dipped in water, squeezed -almost dry, and replaced on the pupæ.</p> -<p><b>AQUARIUM.</b>—Procure from a local florist or seedsman what is -known as a “propagating bell.” These cost from 1s. up to 2s. 6d. A -block of wood 12 inches square and 4 or 5 inches in thickness is also -required. Bore a hole about 2 inches in diameter right through the -centre of the block, to hold the knob of the bell. Then, with a gouge -chisel, make a saucer-shaped hollow round the hole, to roughly fit the -rounded end of the bell. Before fitting the bell into the block, interpose -a thin layer of moss.</p> -<p>This makes an excellent aquarium—elegant and serviceable. Keep -the aquarium in a window, but shade it from bright sunlight.</p> -<h2>Transcriber’s Notes</h2> -<ul><li>Retained publication information from the printed exemplar (this eBook is in the public domain in the country of publication.)</li> -<li>Only in the text versions, delimited italicized text with _underscores_.</li> -<li>Silently corrected several typos.</li></ul> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The 'Look About You' Nature Study -Books, Book 3 (of 7), by Thomas W. 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