THE BUTTERFLY HUNTERS. 1 19 



ceived, was none the worse for his sudden bath. The boys 

 were all glad to remain. Mr. Benedict had taken all the 

 specimens home with him the day before, and had brought 

 them to the school arranged in the proper order. 



"Dragon-FHes belong to the division of Entomology 

 called Neuroptera," said he. " This division includes all 

 insects having four lace wings, prominent jaws, and no 

 sting. The subdivision to which Dragon-Flies belong is 

 called Libellulina. The Dragon-Fly's head is always large 

 and his mouth is very ample. His eyes are prominent and 

 project on each side of his head. His legs are short and 

 his abdomen very long. He is a very voracious fellow, and 

 devours mosquitoes and other small water-insects with great 

 eagerness. His life is spent darting over the water and 

 marshy places. He flies very rapidly and with great 

 strength, and on this account is often seen far from any 

 damp place. I have even caught them flying about my 

 house in the city, but their home is always by the water- 

 side. The worm and pupa of the Dragon-Fly live in the 

 water, and are nourished by minute aquatic insects. They 

 resemble the perfect insect, except they are wingless. Drag- 

 on-Flies, or Libellulinae, are divided into two families, Agri- 

 onidae and Libellulidae. The Agrionidae have a head much 

 larger than the rest of the body, their eyes are far apart, 

 and the wings are generally narrow and very gauzy, and 

 are slightly elevated when the insect is at rest. Agrioni- 



