The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-03-11

)hCe OF THESE pOlntS Is uOt uclcIMlASus
tut our observer inferred that it was to
ripple the action Of the living animal.
The creature most frequently entrapped
vas snake-like larvae, which, under the
microscope, exhibited fierce locking jaws.
md pair Of telescope horns, which it.
lrew in and out at pleasure. After much
to learn the method to-
which these larvae were imprisoned. Mrs
Treat was obliged to give up the attempt
The creature refused to walk into the |
Jaws Of death merely for her entertain.
ment. When under the cold, curious |
eve, they pranced and founced about as |
if frantic, passing the bladders without
so much as dash in their direction.
But, when the dish containing plants and
prey were set aside, in few hours the
latter ,u;d be found secure within the |
nav of the former. It looks as if there
were some sort of method in the larval
madness.
Res:pning the nope of scein- how the
larvae found their way inside the bladders.
Mrs. Treat fixeG her attention on the tiny
animalcules likely to be victimized. These
showed no resentment at her staring, but
allowed themselves to be trapped under
her very eye. The bladder is pointed at
the outer end, and here is the entrance,
opening into tunnel net, which has .
spring door at the inner extremity. The
animalcules. swimming and dallying about
this entrance, would sooner or later ven
ture in, and, in the course of their re-
connoissance, would push upen the spring
door and pass through. Once inside the
Utmost chamber, there was no retreat.
The door was means of entrance, but
not of exit. It swung in, but never out,
and the little providers who risked open
ing it crossed its Threshold only once.
Their doom was thenceforth sealed.
The movements Of water-bear Tar
digrada) which entered the prison were
quite amusing. The diminutive Bruln
slewly travelled around the bladder, IS if
curious to learn its nature and object in
the submarine world. Finally it poked
it's way into the entrance, and, pushing
open the door, complacently walked IN.
1t seemed to regard the neat little cham
Der in which it found itself with pleasant
surprise, but soon grew quiet as if
numbing stupor was creeping over it.
The following morning it lay in its fatal
prison still and stiff, with its tiny feet and
claws stretched out cold and rigid in
death. It was a piteous, though micro
scopic, spectacle. 1t was tragedy, albeit
reduced to miniature.
Entromostraca often fell into the trap.
Daphnid, Cyclops and Cypris. The
lively little Cypris dwells in . bivalve
shell, out of which it thrusts its feet and
two pairs Of antenne, with tufts Of plumy
filaments. as it scuttles through the wa
ter. It is a shrewd little spirit; never
theless, the bladders frequently caught
it. Sometimes one would sail up to the
entrance, peep cautiously in, and then
dash away in terrific hurry. Then ono
would sidle warily about, and even ven.
ture part way into the entrance, only to
back rapidly out as if affrighted. Finally,
one more reckless than the others would
open the door and pass in. But, on the
instant, it would manifest intense alarm
and draw in its feet and antennR, and
close its shell. After its death, which in
cvitably followed, the shell would oper
again and disclose the feet and antenn9
Not the smallest animalcule ever escaped
! from The bladder.
After submitting hundreds Of bladder!
to the test Of the microscope, Mrs. Trea
determined that the contents Of the blad
| ders passed into the stems, and thenc'
undoubtedly into the circulation Of tn
plant. The fluid in the bladders variet
from dark, muddy hue to . light. trans
parent color. In less than two day
after. q large larva was captured, tn
liquid surrounding it would assume
cloudy or muddy appearance, often be
coming SO dense rs to obscure the out
lines Of the animal. This appearance
continued while the process Of digestion
was going on. When it WAS concluded
the liquid grew clear again.
u Nearly every well-developed bladde
contained one or more animals. In
snake-ike larva above mentioned Was tn
creature most frequently present. "
. some Of the stems, nine out Of every te
bladders contained this larva or its y
. mains. In about twelve hours after th
: larve were caught, they lost the powe
i Of moving their feet, and could merei
j stir the brush-like appendages- Sma
) larve, that had plenty Of room to sw'l
: about, would soon grow quiet, althoug
they showed signs Of life for twenty-fi nv
or twenty-six hours after they we're 10
{ prisoned.
: On communicating the results Of ht
( observations to DR.. Gray and Mr.. Darwin
) Mrs Treat learned that the latter ha
e been for some time occupied with exper
ments upon the same plants, although
T had not progressed 50 far in the path
discovery at the latest accounts. Il ST.
e remains to be determined what It Is tn
: attracts Iarva and animalcuies into q
i bladders.
e Just 1t the close Of the interesting >
0 count Of her observations, furnished
d the New York Tribune, Mrs Treat stat
= that her vigilance has at last been
i lwarded 1t the sight Of ! laTva entering