The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1859-08-25


exactly nine days since they were cut
off, and have been watching hem daily
under the microscope | assure you that
1 have seen them grM, not larger, indeed
but develop more and more muscle, fberS
appearing where no trace of fiber exis.
Ited and citatrice forming at the cut
end"
7" Come now, you are trying my gull.
biiity y
"I nm perfectly serious. The discov-
cry is none of mine. 1t was made this
time last year by M. Vulpian in Paris,
and have only waited for the tadpole
season to repeat the observations He
says that the tail constantly lived many
days-as MANY as eighteen on one occa-
sion but l have never kept mine alive
more than eleven. He says, moreover,
that they not only, grow as have said, but
manifest sensibiity, for they twist about
with rapid swimming movement when
irritated. have not seen this but NJ
Vulpiau is too experienced Psychologist
to have been mistaken aud with regard
to the growth of the tails, his observa-
tions are all the more trustworthy be-
cause he daily made drawings of the as
pect presented by the tails, and could
thus compare the progress made"
Well, but say how the deuce could
they live when separated from the body !?
our arms or legs don't live; the Holsters
legs don't live"
Quite true but in these eases we
have limbs of a complex organization;
which require complex apparatus for
their maintenance they must have blood,
the blood must circulate, the blood must
be oxygenated-"
Stop, stop; l don't want to under
stand why our arms can't live apart from
the body"
1t can. Is not the fact enough for
you In that case also? Well, I was going
to tell you the reason. The tail will only
live apart from the body so long as it re-
tains Its early immature form-that is to
say, so long as it has not become highly
organized. If you cut it off from a tad
pole which is old enough to have lost its
external gills week or more, the tail
will not live more than three or four days
And every tail will die as it reaches the
point in its development which requires
the circulation of the blood as necessary
condition"
"But where does it get food ?"
"'That is more than can say. I don't
know that 1t wants food The power of
abstlnenc possessed by reptiles is amazing.
| was reading the other day an account
of reptile which had been kept in the
Boston Museum eli ght and twenty months
without any food, except such as it might
have found in the small quantity of dirt
water in which it was kept"
Really begin to think there is more
in these little beasts than | suspected.
But you see it requires a deal of study to
get at these things"
+" Not more than to get at any of the
other open secrets of nature. But since
you are interested, look at these tails as
the tadpoles como bobbing against the side
of the glass. Do you see how they are
covered with little white spots ?"
No."
" Look closer All over the tail there
arc tiny cotton like spots. Take a lense
if your urunaccutomed eye ism tsharp enough
There now you see them."
(" Yes; | see sort of fuf scattered
about"
That fluff is an immense colony of
parasites. Let us place the tadpole un-
der the microscope, and you will see each
spot turn out to be a multitude of elegant
and active animals, having bodies not un,
like crystal goblet supported Gu an ex-
tremely long and flexible stem, and hav-
ing round their rim or mouth a range of
long delicate hairs, the incessant motion
of which gives wheel like aspect, and
makes an eddy in the water which brings
food to the animal. "
Upon my word this is really interest.
ing. How active they are! How they
shrink up, and then, unwinding their
twisted stems, expand again. What's
the name of this thing"
Fottcettd. Ii may be found growing
on water feas, plants, decayed wood, or
these tadpoles. People who study the
animalcules are Cery fond of this Vorti-
celia"
Well, I never could have believed
such a patch of fluff could turn out
sight like this; could watch it for au
hour. But what are those small yellow
ish things sticking on the sides of these
parasites Z"
/ Those, my dear Gerunds, are also par
asites"
What, parasites living on parasites?p
"Why not? Nature is economical.
Don't you live on beef and mutton and
fish ? don't these beefs, muttons and fish
live On vegetables and animals? don't