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lows bear tlieir seeds in catkins. Why tlien should so many brook- 

 side willows thriistrthese cones in our faces ? On cutting one of the 

 cones open one will learn the secret. A tiny, colorless grub rolls 



helplessly out of a cell in the very center of 



the cone. It is the young of a small gnat, 



0^^ scarcely larger than a mosquito, and known 



fWk as a " gall gnat." The cone-shaped body 



w|^* on the willow branch is called a " pine-cone 



willow-gall." The little gray gnat comes 



out in the spring. Any one can collect the 



galls from the willows and keep them in 



some kind of cage in the house until the 



gnats come forth. 



The pine-cone gall is an enlarged and 

 deformed bud. The twig might have 

 developed into a branch but for {he pres- 

 ence of the little larva. The scales of the 

 cone are the parts which would have made 

 leaves under more favorable conditions. 

 The brook-lover cannot afford to miss the 

 pine-cone willow-galls. 



Wandering along the brookside in spring 

 or early summer, one is surprised to iind so 

 many insect visitors darting about in the 

 air. There are dragon-flies of all shapes, 

 %%.— Knob-like bodies, resem. sizes and colors; dainty damsel-flies perch 

 bling pine cones. airily on reeds, their gleaming wings aflut 



ter in the sunshine ; sometimes a nervous mud-wasp alights for a 

 moment and then up and away. The dragon-flies seem intent on 

 coming as near to the water as possible without wetting their wings. 

 They pay no heed to other visitors, yet liow easily they escape 

 the net of the would-be collector ! Let them alone. Their busi- 

 ness is important if we would have a new generation of dragon- 

 flies to delight the eye next year. The eggs of these creatures are 

 left in the water and the young ones are aquatic. If you would 

 know more of them, dip down into the stream in some sluggish 

 bay. Dip deep and trail the not among the water plants. Besides 



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