7 6 



Dragon-flies and Damsel-flies 



in the air, with the sunlight dancing on its trembling wings, it is indeed a 



beautiful sight. 



'"Dragon-flies? Folks call 'em devil's-darnin'-needles in our parts, 



and they say they will sew up your ears.' Yes; and in some localities they 



are called 'snake-doctors,' and are said 

 to bring dead snakes to life; and other 

 meaningless names are given them, such 

 as 'snake-feeders,' 'horse-stingers,' 'mule- 

 killers,' etc.; but in spite of all these 

 silly names and the silly superstitions 

 they represent, dragon-flies are entirely 

 harmless to man are indeed to be 

 counted as friends, for they destroy vast 

 numbers of mosquitoes and gnats and 

 pestiferous little flies. To such creatures 

 they must seem real dragons of the air. 

 While one is standing by the pond let 

 him follow awhile the actions of a dragon- 

 fly that is making short dashes in different 

 FIG. no. A dragon-fly (from life), directions close to the bank. Let him 



fix his eye on a little fly hovering in the air, and note that after the 



dragon-fly has made a dart toward it, it is gone. Let him repeat the 



observation as the dragon-fly goes darting 



hither and thither. It will be hard to see 



the flies captured, so quickly it is done, 



but one can see that ' the place that once 



knew them knows them no more.' And 



the usefulness of the dragon-fly in taking 



off such water-haunting pests will be 



appreciated." 



Thus entertainingly and truthfully writes 



Professor Needham rf the strong- winged, 



brilliantly colored, graceful insects of our 



present chapter. If one could see through 



muddy water and would fix his gaze on 



the weed-choked slimy depths of the pond, FIG. in. The young (nymph) of 



he would see the dragon-flies in another * dragon-fly. (From Jenkins and 

 ,,.,., ,.-. Kellogg; twice natural size.) 



stage of their life, under very different 



conditions of existence, and in very different guise. Crawling awkwardly 

 about over and through the decaying weeds and leaves and mud of the 

 bottom or lying in ambush, half concealed by coverings of slime, 

 would be seen certain strange big-headed, thick-bodied, dirty gray-green, 



