The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1900-07-24

zlso be rewarded by finding number
of the great family Of desmtds. also al
gaze 81 one cell. green in color and il
|. such numbers as often TO give greeu
tint n the water or mud when EOS
prolific. and when found coating the
bottom o. q pool with : gTeea stratum.
They may be taken Up wifh q spoon
and placed in 4 vide m0zthed bottle
placing the bottle in the light, the sedi-
menS viii silk 70 the bottom and the
desmids rise TO the light gradually.
; and then can be separated BIZ decant-
ing. If poured into white soup plate
the floating desmids may be taken out
on the tip OF a cameI's hair pencil with
the aid Of pocket lens. and thus the
largest specimens may be isolated In
order to see them well. a microscope
with an inch objective, or even a
higher power. will be necessary.
Nov, though the desmids and dia-
toms look very much alike in many o,
the varieties, the desmids have no flint
/ like skeleton TO leave behind them
when they die as an almost imperish-
able record TO mark where they have
existed. as is the case with the dia-
toms. Nov, moreover. to the student
commencing to work with the miscro-
scope. either among the ponds and
bitches or in any line be may feel an
inclination for, it is. / am sure, better
TO take up some definite line and mas
ter il as far as possible, rather than
To aimlessly wander among the i'm
mense varieties OF minute animal and
vegetable life, which he will find IL /
he hunts in this field. To such search !
er. would say, take up the study of |
the diatoms and you will derive end |
less pleasure and profit therefrom
There is an old story of the Greeks
which narrates that there was a cele-
brated monster, to which the name OF
hydra was given, which infested the
neighborhood of Lake Lerna It had
hundred heads, according to Diodorus, !
and as soon as one was cut OF, two i'm
mediately grew up, unless the wound
was cauterized. II was one OF the la
bors of Hercules to destroy this mon
ster, which he accomplished. The mod
ern hydra obtained its name from this
fable. and at one time its story created
as much excitement in the scientific
world as that Of the monster hydra
could have done among the Greeks.
The little animals to which this
lame applies are solely the inhabitants
Of fresh water and common enough in
ponds and bitches adherent to aquatic
plants. By placing portions of these
plants in vessel of water exposed to
he light, it is probable that in half an
lour We can see the hydra in his native
clement No pocket lens will be re-
luired to find it, since it sometimes at
aims nearly an inch in length, but as
he species most likely to be observed
/ first, is green one, nearly the color
: the plants to which it is attached,
ONE little care will be required in
boxing for 1t, until its forms have be-
ONE familiar. This little animal and
II its operations may be watched in a
lass vessel with the unaided eye.
The hydra is mostly celebrated for =
IS marvellous powers of reproduction. r
his is usually by budding from any q
art of the body, except the tentacles. d
little tubercle rises on the body OF
le parent. This enlarges every hour, .,
nd ultimately tentacles appear at the "a,
pex. and no sooner are the young thus 6,
than they commence catch
e prey on their own account whilst
and often may be seen the young one
Id often may be seen the young one ~,
I'd the old one struggling for and
'rging different ends of the same
orm together. Again.. if the body is
lived or cut into four or eight pieces,
even minced into forty, each piece so
a short time grows into a perfect wi
'dra If the tentacles-the organs WI
I'll which their existence might seem sal
depend-are cut away, they are re- sol
oduced, and the Topped of parts re- tul
ain not long without new body. You
~ even split the animal up and lay ed
out fiat, like a mebrane, with i'm Gle
1t may be turned inside the
$50 that the stomach surface shall De
ZONE the epidermis, and yet it will We
ltinue to live and enjoy itself. ly
Time will only allow me TO briefly sor
leh on one other OF these most in eis
esting forms OF life found in our ION
Ids and waterways namely the roti- iio
5. The older naturalists recognized sea-
ong aquatic animals group of sin GER
ar creatures. which appeared TO ser
IN to differ from all others in bear me
about their heads or upper extremi- lile6
certain organs. constantly in mo- u'ul
]. and resembling wheels. These oe
= called wheel animalcules.' The VII
iern name. rotifers, perpetuates the sen
romance OF wheel bearers, and yet not
organs are not wheels. but simply Aau
sn6ed sisrs r.rx;n~ !, ,a-, Sch
- - - N~~SAN ~