XXIII. THE GRASSHOPPERS AND LOCUSTS 190 XXIV. THE BEETLES 195 XXV. THE BUGS 199 XXVI. FLIES AND MOSQUITOES 204 XXVII. THE BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS 212 XXVIII. THE ANTS 222 XXIX. THE BEES AND WASPS 228 INDEX 233 HALF HOURS WITH THE LOWER ANIMALS PROTOZOANS, SPONGES, CORALS, SHELLS, INSECTS, AND CRUSTACEANS I. INHABITANTS OF A DROP OF WATER The most unobserving stroller through the forest or by the seashore can not fail to be impressed by the abundance and variety of animal life; yet the forms visible to the naked eye really constitute but a fraction of the vast horde which makes up what we call life. In the year 1901 a strange phenomenon appeared off the coast of southern California. The ocean assumed a reddish muddy hue which was traced for four hundred miles up the coast and from one to twenty miles offshore; hence, at a conservative estimate, the reddish color occupied a space of ten thousand square miles. At night it assumed a greenish light, and when the wind rose and formed whitecaps, each became a blaze of light, and the ocean as far as the eye could reach was converted into a mass of seeming flame. The sands of the beach gave out flashes of light when touched; the footsteps of dog or man on the sands left an imprint of vivid light, and figures made on the sands with a finger or stick stood out in lines of light. Ten thousand square miles of phosphorescent light; ten thousand square miles of living beings, each so minute that it was almost if not quite invisible to the human eye. Who could estimate the individuals in one square mile, one square foot, or even a drop of this reddish water? This illustrates the fact that the greater number of the earth's population are unseen, even though not invisible to the unaided eye. These minute animals are as interesting as the larger forms. Equipped with a microscope, we are prepared to explore the regions in which they live and observe their habits. A favorite hunting ground for this small game is some long-standing water in which plants have been growing. Placing some of this, with the green scraping of the glass, on the slide, we shall soon make out, moving mysteriously along, something which resembles the white of an egg, an atom of slime or jelly. Now it stops and throws out parts of itself which seem to fuse together again; now it is long, now short and compact, again circular. You almost believe it is a mere atom of slime, yet it is an animal which eats and lives its life cycle in a drop of water, one of the lowest of all animals.