season commences.

The eggs are globular and transparent, and in the center of each is a blackish globule. The eggs float on the surface of the water, and at a distance look like froth or air-bubbles.

4. All who have observed the small ponds and ditches in the country at this season have seen these light, glutinous formations swimming on the surface of the water. After a few days, more or less, according to the temperature, the little black spot, which is the embryo of the egg, and which has developed itself in the interior of the glairy mass that envelops it, disengages itself and shoots forth into the water. This is the tadpole in its earliest stage.

5. The body of the tadpole at birth is oval in shape, destitute of legs, and terminates in a long flat tail, which

forms a true fin. On each

side of the neck are two large

gills, in shape like a plume of feathers. These gills soon

begin to wither, without aquatic respiration ceasing; for, besides these, the tadpole possesses interior gills like those of a fish. Soon after, the legs begin to show themselves, the hind legs appearing first, and these acquire a considerable length before the fore feet show themselves. These are developed under the skin, which they pierce through.

6. When the legs have appeared, the tail begins to fade, and, little by little, withers away, until in the perfect animal it entirely disappears. About the same time the lungs become developed, and assume their functions. Through these admirable modifications we see the fish little by little becoming a frog. In order to follow this strange metamorphosis, it suffices to gather some frogs' eggs, and place them with some aquatic herbs in an aquarium, or in a globe with gold and silver fish.

7. The power vested in the legs of frogs is very great, for they can take leaps on the ground fifty times longer than their own body. Like toads, they have soft, fleshy tongues, furnished with a glutinous substance, which makes their prey adhere to them; and they dart out their tongues and capture insects with most surprising velocity. Frogs breathe not only through their mouth, but through pores in the skin, which is constantly kept moist by means of a quantity of water that the skin absorbs and keeps in store for this purpose.

8. The flesh of the edible frog is very tender, white, and delicate. As an article of food it is highly esteemed, and deservedly so. Prepared in the same manner, green frogs closely resemble very young fowls in taste.

FIGUIER. Adapted.

lim'pet, a rock shell-fish.
nåve, hub.

sat'u-rat-ed, soaked.
sin'is-ter, meditating evil.
ten'ta-cle, a cephalic feeler.
tes-ta'ce-a, marine shell-fish.

1. WHEN Gilliatt awoke he was hungry. The sea was growing calmer. Although pressed by hunger, he began by stripping himself, the only means of getting warmth. His clothing was saturated by the storm, but the rain had washed out the sea-water, which rendered it possible to dry them. His overcoat, jacket, overalls, and sheepskin he spread out and fixed with large round stones here and there. Then he thought of eating.

2. He had recourse to his knife, which he was careful to sharpen, and to keep always in good condition, and he detached from the rocks a few limpets. It is well known that these are eaten raw; but after so many labors, so various and so rude, the pittance was meager. His biscuit was gone, but of water he had abundance. He took advantage of the receding tide to wander among the rocks in search of cray-fish. There was extent enough of rock to hope for a successful search.

3. He wandered, not in the gorge of the rocks, but outside, among the smaller breakers. For the search that Gilliatt was prosecuting, this part was more favorable than the interior. At low water the crabs are accustomed to crawl out into the air. They seem to like to warm themselves in the sun, where they swarm sometimes to the disgust of loiterers, who recognize in these creatures, with their awkward sidelong gait, climbing clumsily from crack to crack the lower stages of the rocks like the steps of a staircase, a sort of sea-vermin.

4. On this day, however, the cray-fish and crabs were both lacking; the tempest had driven them into their solitary retreats, and they had not yet mustered courage to venture abroad. Gilliatt held his open knife in his hand, and from time to time scraped a cockle from under the bunches of sea-weed, which he ate while still walking. As he was determining to content himself with the sea-urchins, a little clattering noise at his feet aroused his attention. A large crab, startled by his approach, had just dropped into a pool. The water was shallow, and he did not lose sight of it. He chased the crab along the base of the rock. The crab moved fast. Suddenly it was gone. It had buried itself in same crevice under the rock.

5. Gilliatt clutched the projections of the rock, and stretched out to observe where it shelved away under the water. As he suspected, there was an opening there in which the creature had evidently taken refuge. It was more than a crevice, it was a kind of porch. The sea entered beneath it, but was not deep. The bottom was visible, covered with large pebbles. The pebbles were green, and clothed with conferva, indicating that they were never dry. Holding his knife between his teeth, Gilliatt descended, by the help of feet and hands, from the upper part of the escarpment, and leaped into the water. reached almost to his shoulders.

It

6. He made his way through the porch, and found himself in a blind passage, with a roof in the form of a rude arch over his head. The walls were polished and slippery. The crab was nowhere visible. He gained his feet, and advanced in daylight growing fainter, so that he began to lose the power to distinguish objects. At about fifteen paces the vaulted roof ended overhead. He had pene

trated beyond the blind passage. There was here more space, and consequently more daylight. The pupils of his eyes, moreover, had dilated. His vision became clearer and clearer. He was astonished. He saw before his eyes a vaulted roof, vegetation rich with gems, and at the farther end an altar-like stone. He took little notice of these details, but their impression was in his mind.

7. He observed before him, at a certain height in the wall, a crevice, which, from the point where he now stood, appeared inaccessible. Near the molded arch he saw low dark grottoes, a sort of caves within the cavern. The entrance to the nearest was out of the water, and easily approachable. Nearer still than this recess, he noticed,

above the level of the water and within reach of his hand, a horizontal fissure. It seemed to him probable that the crab had taken refuge there, and he plunged his hand in as far as he was able, and groped about in that dusky aperture.

8. Suddenly he felt himself seized by the arm. A strange, indescribable horror thrilled through him. Some living thing-thin, rough, flat, cold, slimy - had twisted itself round his naked arm, in the dark depth below. It crept upward towards his chest. Its pressure was like a tightening cord, its steady persistence like that of a screw. less than a moment some mysterious spiral form had passed round his wrist and elbow, and had reached his shoulder. A sharp point penetrated beneath the arm-pit.

In

9. Gilliatt recoiled, but he had scarcely power to move. He was, as it were, nailed to the place. With his left hand, which was disengaged, he seized his knife, which he still held between his teeth, and with that hand holding the knife he supported himself against the rocks, while he made a desperate effort to withdraw his arm. He succeeded in only disturbing his persecutor, which wound itself still tighter. It was supple as leather, strong as steel, cold as night.

10. A second form sharp, elongated, and narrow — issued out of the crevice, like a tongue out of monstrous jaws. It seemed to lick his naked body; then, suddenly stretching out, became longer and thinner, as it crept over his skin and wound itself round him. At the same time a terrible sense of pain, comparable to nothing he had ever known, compelled all his muscles to contract. He felt upon his skin a number of flat, rounded points. It seemed as if innumerable suckers had fastened to his flesh and were about to drink his blood.