The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-04-14
A CHAPTER OF WONDERS
BY OLIVE rHORNK.

with fairy stories ever since fairies were
thought of; but | can tell you some.
thing far more wonderful than YOUR
fairy stories, and true, besides, which
makes Ii more interesting.
If you think small people two or three
inches high are amusing, what would
you think Of little creature so small as
barely to he seen by the naked eye so
small, indeed, that he and thousands of
others have plenty of room to live, and
grow, and travel around in tiny puddle
Of water? And what sort of house
would you think such an atom of
a thing could build? What if I
should tell you that he can build brick
house that he selects from the water
in which he lives the necessary mater-
ais, shapes them in a mould which he
has in his body, and piles up a regular
house for himself? You can hardly be-
lieve it, but it is perfectly true.
What do you think of creatures so
tiny that whole family can live in the
cavities in grain of sand? To your
eye, a grain of sand looks perfectly
round but these dots Of creatures find
comfortable caves to live in. How do
you suppose they like to be mixed up
with water and other things, and walled
up in stone wall? It's as bad to them
AS 10 be shut up in an enchanted pal
ace, and worse. for no Disseminating
words will let them out.
The world of wonders opened to us by
the microscope is stranger than all the
tales of giant, genii, and enchantment
you ever heard. Think, if you can, of
atoms so small that whole colonies can
live in one drop of water, and swim
around as freely as whales in the ocean !;
and that it would take many millions of
them together to be as large as the head
of pin. Imagine these specks of life
swimming around in the water, chasing
other creatures smaller than themselves
for food. They're almost too small to
think of. You would never think of
looking for beauty in these little crea-
lures, but they are exquistely formed
and colored. Many, not so large as the
head of pin, are as perfect and beauti-
ful as flower, and just as nicely adapt
ed to their life in every particular as a
human being is to his
Many creatures in the sea look so much
like flowers that in Olden times they
were supposed to be flowers but, stud
led by the help of the microscope, they
are seen to be animals, though as beau
tiful in color and shape as the loveliest
flowers that grow. One kind is called
the sea.lily. and there are anemones,
daisies, and other flower names. But
each one Is hungry little animal, way
ing around in the water, not to look
pretty. but to catch something to eat, to
stuff into the eager mouths they always
have.
How do you suppose the sponge you
have to use with your slate at school
spent his time when he was alive, be-
fore he was torn from his home for your
use? Do YOU see those little, very little
hills on him, each one of which has
hole in it? Well. he spent his time in
drawing in the water through the other
tiny holes all over him. and after he had
snatched all that was good TO eat, spirit
ing il out again through these little vol
canoes. Why. he made regular foun-
tain down there at the bottom of the
sea. I wouldn't be surprised if your
father wears some pieces OF sponge for
shirt.studs and sleeve-buttons. You
ask him if he wears the fashionable
"noss agates.' and if he does. you just
tell him it is nothing but flint, with
pieces Of sponge turned to stone in 1t.
Ii you've ever been to the mountains
and | hope you have-you remember
seeing piles and piles of immense rocks.
Many of these rocks are made entirely
of the shells of some OF these sea-atoms,
each one no larger round than one Of
your hairs, but as beautiful as the large
sea.shells you have seen so carefully pre-
served.
These curiosities of the sea take the
most wonderful shapes you ever thought
of. Some families look like basket
of flowers, as large as peach basket.
Every stem of the basket is a house, in
the shape of long tube, and the flow
ers are only the lovely little animals
heais stuck out of their houses. An
other kind is called the feather star,
and looks exactly like a star made of
lovely rose.colored p'umes. Nothing
can be more beautiful than this little
star waving around in the water. Then
there's the sea-moss. To the eye it
seems a mere film of moss on some old
stone; but under the microscope it
turns out to be a perfect forest OF little
trees of various colors, and the trees are
made of live creatures, throwing their
arms around for food.
Do YOU wonder what all these mites
were made for? You may be sure that
each one has his use, however humble.
The wise men have decided that these
creatures are scavengers. They eat de-
Gavin, animal and vegetable matter
that would be very hurtful if not dis
posed of. These scavengers are food for
larger atoms and those, in turn, are
food for fishes; and fishes are food for
men. Nothing is lost.
But don't think the wonders are all
in the sea. The insect world has mar
wells as great as the sea. Take the eggs
of moths and butterfles-tiny things,
not so big as the head of a pin. Why,
birds eggs can't compare with them for
beauty In color, especially, they are
exouisitely changeable. One egg is COW
cred with hexagonal figures-hexago-
nal. YOU know, is six-sided-and each
corner is tiny raised button. 1t is a
beautiful blue and white, changeable.
another egg looks like a ripe orange
another like beautiful round shell
-. oro ovol with perfectlv repular