170 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST 



And the water itself! How it reflected every one of Nature's 

 moods. Now frowning as a cloud passes over the sun; now smiling 

 back when the sun smiles down through a rift; now rippling in 

 glee as the gentle breeze kisses it. But more than all, how mys- 

 terious it is! As one stands and looks down into its depths, one 

 can understand why the Greeks peopled the water with Naiads. 

 It would not be a very great surprise if a dragon did suddenly 

 arise from the cool water and sally forth to find its dinner! 



Indeed, though the day of the fiery dragon is long since gone, 

 there are many fearsome beasts below the calm surface, each as 

 terrible in its way as the dragon of St. George. Come and look 

 down through this opening in the weeds. Now see! There is a 

 dragon for you! That creature, about an inch long and a quarter 

 wide, grayish-white in colour, with the huge pair of jaws, is a 

 water tiger, and well deserves his name. No insect or tadpole 

 into which he can sink those jaws is safe from him, and his appetite 

 is similar to Oliver Twist's, except that he always wants more. 

 Some day he will be a big, black, shining beetle. Look again! 

 Do you see that creature on the dead vegetation at the bottom? 

 It moves very very slowly now. Does it not remind you of a cat 

 stalking a mouse? Well, it is stalking something — some tiny 

 creature that is near to it. When within range, an extraordinary 

 " jaw " is suddenly shot out and — our dragon goes off feeling a 

 little more comfortable! By-and-by that ungraceful creature will 

 be a glittering dragon-fly and will charm us with its fairy-like 

 movements and appearance. 



It was in that slough that, with a beginner's luck, I took 

 several rare beetles. With an enthusiasm worthy of success I 

 went over to it early in April. It was so cold that the net would 

 stifl^en with frost when out of the water and the sheltered parts 

 of the pond were masked with ice. Looking over my records, it 

 is surprising how many are for L3.IV and 15. IV. They include a 

 species of Laccophilus to which Mr. C. H. Roberts, of New York, 

 has given a manuscript name, and two specimens of Hydroporus 

 ohlongus Steph. Of the former I have since taken but one specimen; 

 of the latter, none. 



In the first week of May, in the same slough, two more prizes 

 turned up: Hydroporus rufinasiis Mann and Agabus clavatus Lee. 



