100 A REAL POND.

with gold-dust as it seemed, as fine as a sprinkling of
pepper. ss

“Ohi itathen, swhat ware ethey 2ivened wiMousie. - “Can “we
take them home for my pond ?”

“ They are tadpoles,” said father. ‘‘ Once upon a time some
frogs laid their eggs in this pond. Did you know that froggies
could lay eggs? Yes, they lay eggs in the water in. spring-
time. That lump of jelly over there that you said was like
tapioca pudding, is really some frogs’ eggs—though I don’t
know how it comes to be there so late, after the rest has turned
into tadpoles. We will take a little of it home and put it in
with the tadpoles. And you will see that in the jelly-looking
stuff there are black specks. When the sun warms those specks
they begin to live, and in a few days they will become tadpoles.
They will grow and grow till they are as big as these tadpoles
here. These have not been hatched out for so very long—they
will become much larger. By-and-bye their tails will go away,
two hind legs will come instead; that great round bundle that
looks like a head will send out two front legs, and the whole
will turn into a little baby froggie and come out of the water to
jump about on the grass.”

1 Oli how cant sy scricdMousie cand: she lookcd=upyat
father, for she could hardly believe this, and thought it must be
a fairy-story of his.

“You will see. We will take these home, and you: shall
watch them every day, and notice what happens. We will put
in some of the frogs’ eggs, too, that you may see some tadpoles
from the very beginning; although I am rather afraid the big
ones may eat the little ones.” .

‘“ But how unkind—when perhaps they are brothers!”’ said
Mousie.

“They don’t mind about that sort of thing under the