FIELD BOOK OF INSECTS. 



yellow; they do not seem to fly as much in pure sportive- 

 ness as do some of their relatives. The females, especially 

 in June, skim the surface of ponds and streams, striking 

 the tip of their abdomen into the water. At each dip 

 gelatin-covered eggs are deposited; the gelatin dissolves; 

 the eggs drop to the muddy bottom; and there, covered 

 with silt, the wide, flat young lie in wait for their food. 



Needham calls the subfamily ^Eschninae "the largest, 

 fleetest, and most voracious of our dragon flies." Many 

 of them hunt well -into twilight. The young are clean, 

 slender-bodied, active climbers among green plants along 

 the borders of ponds and streams. The following are 

 two of the common species. 



This species (Plate IX) is found in China, 



.A T13.X 



junius Siberia, throughout the Western Hemi- 



sphere from Alaska to Costa Rica, and in 

 various Pacific Islands. The clear wings are at least two 

 inches long; the thorax and head are bright green; and 

 in front of the eyes is a round, black spot surrounded, first, 

 by a yellow ring, and, then, by a ring of dark blue. The 

 young are sure to be found by those who look for them 

 and the dry shell, out of which the adult came during the 

 night, is frequently seen clinging to the stems of plants 

 which grow out of or near water. 



This species (Plate XI) might be con- 

 Epiaeschna , . . . . 



heros fused with A . junius except that it is larger 



and has a T-shaped, instead of a round, 

 spot in front of its eyes. It is the largest of our dragons 

 and one which frequently gets into buildings. 



LlBELLULID^ 



Some of our commonest species belong here and they 

 are collectively called Skimmers from their habit of sailing 

 back and forth close to the ground or water. They 

 frequently rest on bare branches or tall grass stems and 

 seem ever ready to dart after a fly or to drive off another 

 Dragon poaching on their preserve. The females do not 

 place their eggs in plants but either drop them loosely or 



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