CHAPTER III 



THE DRAGON FLIES (ODONATA) AND THE MAY FLIES 



(EPHEMERIDA) 



To-day I saw the dragon-fly 

 Come from the wells where he did lie. 

 An inner impulse rent the veil 

 Of his old husk : from head to tail 

 Came out clear plates of sapphire mail. 

 He dried his wings : like gauze they grew ; 

 Thro' crofts and pastures wet with dew 

 A living flash of light he flew. 



Tennyson 



Dragon Flies. The dragon flies (Libel'lula, Fig. 13) are 

 familiar insects found flying over the surface of still or run- 

 ning water. They feed on other insects, which they capture 

 on the wing. They are lovers of the sunshine, and are most 

 active in the brightest and hottest part of the day. The 

 larger kinds hawk freely over the surface of the water at 

 some distance above it, often far out from the shore, where 

 their range of vision is unobstructed. 



It is not uncommon to find them coursing through the air 

 in fields and cities some distance from water. The smaller 

 and weaker kinds keep closer to the shore and the protec- 

 tion of vegetation. All are voracious feeders, destroying 

 large quantities of flies and mosquitoes. Many supersti- 

 tions have become associated with them in different parts 

 of the country; in the North, where they are popularly 

 called "devil's darning needles," it is believed that they sew 

 up the mouths and ears of children. In the South, where the 

 name "snake feeder" is generally used, they are thought to 



bring dead snakes to life. It is, perhaps, needless to say that 



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