Romance In A Pond

Hidden under the stems throughout the long winter months lies the newt. Dull at this time of the year, both in brain and in appearance, unwilling to stir, but not quite insensible. There is nothing now to tempt the queer little creatures to move. But when the springtime comes, the sun wakes the countryside to beauty and activity. Then the newt wakes up, too, and feels a call to life and romance. The female newts are the first to get this spring feeling and experience an urge to wriggle off to the nearest pond. Into the pool they glide, and as the under surface of the water reflects the bottom of the pond, so the reflection of each newt is thrown on the water above its head. Newts are amphibians and can live just as well in water as on land. In the pond, they soon lose their dull winter appearance and become very attractive in spotted suitings that are all the rage at this time of year. They hunt greedily about for insects and worms, which they devour in order to grow fatter. For gentleman newts are like the owners of Eastern harems, and admire their tendency to plumpness. This lady is certainly leaving no worm unswallowed in order to achieve sex appeal. Now, the gentleman newts leave the land and take the plunge. The coats they wear to go a-wooing are amazingly attractive, all glittering and brightly colored. Their chief decoration is, however, a wonderful crest which runs along the back from head to tail. No wonder this lady is transfixed by the gentleman's charm, and he he appears equally struck by her. For a brief time, the pond is a honeymoon home of the newt, a center of romance. But alas, in the newt world, marriage is brief and divorce certain. One by one, the newts leave the pond, hardly pausing to they cast one longing, lingering look behind before they take once more to dry land. Newts do look very like prehistoric monsters, and though they are quite harmless, their strange appearance often inspires fear and suspicion. Meanwhile, down in the pond can be found reminders of the romance of the newts. Tiny crystal eggs attached to the water weed and rolled up in leaves to hide them. The dark spot, which is the future newt, soon begins to develop and after a little changes shape, becoming a kind of crescent. Of course, this picture is very much magnified. Gradually, this crescent begins to suggest an animal with head, body, and tail. The movements of the little creature can be clearly seen at this stage, and they soon become practically continuous. The contortions of the young newt would certainly attract enemies, and it would soon be gobbled up. Only by this time, the egg shell, which is sticky, has collected a coating of rubbish, which acts as a screen for the creature within. And now, at length, the egg is ready to hatch out. Sometimes, very rarely, there are twins in one egg shell. The newt, when it hatches, usually forces its way suddenly through the egg, which is still fastened to the water weed. Sometimes, however, the inner shell of the egg falls out of the dirty outside cover. And in this case, the newt hatches out even more quickly. A newly hatched newt tadpole is just a head and a tail. There are no limbs of any kind, but on each side of the head is a bunch of gills through which the tadpole breathes. Soon, a pair of forelegs appear. These legs are very easily broken and do not in any way improve the appearance of their owner. Next come the hind legs. If you look carefully, you can see some tadpoles in the picture have got their hind legs. The others have got them just showing on each side of the tail, but not yet grown. The one in the middle now has all four legs fully developed. Gradually, the tadpole grows more attractive in appearance. It is now perfectly equipped for enjoying life in the pond, having a powerful tail with which to swim and well-formed limbs on which it can scramble about among the water weeds. Each tiny foot is perfectly made, though so delicate and transparent that we can see the blood circulating through the tips of the toes. Equally beautiful are the gills, the organs with which the young newt breathes by drawing in oxygen from the water. Looked at from any point of view through the microscope, they suggest a very lovely glass ornament rather than a breathing apparatus of a tiny reptile. But the gills gradually get smaller as air-breathing lungs develop inside the tadpole, which is now rather plain in appearance. Soon, however, the lungs will be completely grown and the newt, having become a land animal, must leave the water. Carefully he pauses to try out his new breathing outfit. And when that proves okay, he takes his first look at dry land and the new world where he is to live. And now for adventure.