Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1859-08-09
MISCELL A N Y .
The Tall of a TadpOle.
RY G. II. LEWIS.

The Tai OF Iaupoie'
BY G. H. LEWIS.
A blade of grass is world ofmystery, would
man observingly distil it out" When my er-
udite friend, Geruuds, glancing round my WORK
room, arrested his contemptuous eye on vase
abonnding in tadpoles, and asked me with
shifting superiority:
s'Do you really mean to say you lind any IN
terest in those little beasts?"
Ienergetically answered:
"As much as you find in Alzevirs."
"H'ml" grunted Gerunds.
"Verv absurd. isn'tit2 But we have all our
hobbies. can pass bookstall on which per-
ceive that the ignorance of the bookseller per-
mits him to exhibit an edition of Persius among
the rubbish at tone shilling EACH" The sight
gives me no thrill-it does not even slacken my
rapid PAGES. But can't so easily pass pond IN
which | see shoal of tadpoles swimming ABOUT
AZ ignorant of their own value, as the bookseller
is of Persius. | may walk on, but the sight has
sent a slight electric shock through me. Why,
sir there is more to me in the taat OF one OF
those tadpoles than in all the poems OF that oD-
scure and dreary Persius. But won't thrash
your Jew unless you thrash mine."
"Why, what on earth can you do with the
tMl2"
0Do with it2 Study it, experiment on 1t, put
it under the microscope, and day by DAY watoh
the growth fits various parts. AT hrst IL Is
little but a mass of cells. Then observe some
of these cells assuming well-known shape, and
forming rudinentary blood vessels. l also oo-
serve some other cells changing into blood cells
Then the trace of muscle becomes visible. These
grow and grow, and the pigment cells, which
Dive their color to the tail, assume fantastic
shapes"
"Very interesting, dare say"
"You don't seem to think so by your Tone
But look in this vase; here you see several tad
poles with the most apologetic of tails-inere
stumps in fact. / cut them off nine days ago.
"Will they grow again." =.
"Perfectly because, although the frog dis
penses with tail, and gradually loses 1t BY o
process of resorption as he reaches the frog form
the tadpole needs his tail to SWIM with, and Ma
ture kindly supplies any accident that may de-
prive him oft" -.
"Yes yes" added Gerunds, glad to feel him
self once more in the region of things famlllarly
known: ''iust like the lobster, or the crab, you
know. They tear off their legs and arms in the
most reckless manner, yet always grow them a.
gain"
"And would you like to know what has BE-
come of these tails2"
"Arn't they dead?"
"Not at all. alive and kicking"
"Alive after nine days9 OIL oh!
"Here they are in this glass. 1t is exactly
nine days since they were cut off, and l have
been watching them daily under the microscope
| assure You that have seen them grow, not
larger indeed, but deDelope more and more,
muscle.fbres appearing where no trace of hbre
existed, and cicatrice forming at the cut END !!
"Oome, now, you are trying my gullibility! !!
81 am perfectly serious. The discovery is
none of mine. 1t was made this time last year
by NJ. Vulpian in Paris, and have only waited
for the tadpole season to repeat the ooserYatlons
He says that the tails constantly lived many
days-as many as eighteen on one occasion; ont
L have never kept mine alive more than eleven:
He says, moreover, that they not only grow as
have said, but manifest sensibi!ity, for they
twist about with rapid swimming movement
when irritated. l have not seen this; but M.
Vulpianis too experienced aphyslologlst TO nave
been mistaken and with regard to the growth
of tue tails, his observations are all the more
trustworthy because he daily made drawings
of the aspect presented by the tails, and could
thus compare the progress made
swell, but say, how the deuce coud they
| live when separated from the bodys Our arms
or eps dout live; the lobster's legs dou't live.
"Quite true; but in these cases we have limb;
Of complex organization, which require com
plex apparatus for their maintenance; they mus
have blood, the blood must circulate, the BLOOD
must be oxygenated-"
"Stop: stop don't want to understand why
our arms can't live apart from our bodies. They
don't. The fact is enough for me. ] want t.
| a., +o.l of tolpo1a live QnQr
from the body"
SIT can. Is not the fact enough for you il
that case also9 Well, was going to tell yol
the reason. The tail will only live apart from
the body so long as it retains its early imma-
ture form; that is to say, so long as it has NO
become highly organized. Ifyou cut it Oft from
tadpole which is old enough to have lost it:
external gills week or more, the tail will moi
| live more than three or tour days. And every
tail will die as soon as it reaches the point IN 1T
development which requires the circulation o
the blood as necessary condition"
"But where does it get food?"
"That is more than can say. don't know
that it wants food. The power of abstinence
possessed by reptiles is amazing. / was reading
the other day an account of reptile which had
been kept in the Boston Museum eight-and
twenty months without any food, except such
as it might have found in the small quantity Of
dirty water in which it was kept"
"Really begin to think there is more in these
little beasts than suspected. But you see il
requires deal of study to get at these things.
mot more than to get at any other open secrets
of Nature. But since you are interested, look
at these tails as the tadpoles come bobbing a
gainst the side of the glass. Do you see how
they are covered with little white spots2"
"No."
"Look closer All over the tail there are IT,
ny cotton.like spots. Take a lens if your unac-
customed eye isn't sharp enough. There now
you see them"
Eyes; see sort of fluff scattered about"
"That fluff is an immense colony of parasites.
Let us place the tadpole under the microscope
and you will see each spot turn out to be a
multitude of elegant and active animals, having
bodies not unlike crystal goblet supported on
an extremely long and flexible stem, and having
round their rim or mouth a range of long deli
cate 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 interestingl-
TT a. ~, ,.o IIo,,x tIa,, .,h r;pl> ,,r,