20 



Order IV. Odonata. The Dragon Flies. 



The dragon flies or pond flies are familiar to all residents 

 in the West Indies bv their swift, darting llijdit. the 

 apparent delicacy of their structure, and often by their 

 bright! and irridescenl colours. Thev are insects with biting 

 mouth parts in both immature and adull stages of growth, 

 and i hey are predaceous on insects or other forms of animal 

 life, in both stages. The immature stages arc passed in 

 standing, or slowly-running, water. Pond-flies (Fig. 20) 

 have two pairs of membranous, strongly nerved wings, of 

 which the second or hind pair is often longer than the first. 



Fig". 20. Odjnata. Pond-flies. 

 Both about natural jsize. {Original.) 



T l 



'lie origin of the name of the order, which is thought 

 to have come from the Greek Avoid odous, a tooth, is not 

 well understood. 



