CHAPTER X . 



THE DRAGON FLY, 



Were we to select from among the insects a type of all that 

 is savage, relentless, and bloodthirsty, the Dragon fly would be 

 our choice. From the moment of its birth until its death, usu- 

 ally a twelve-month, it riots in bloodshed and carnage. Living 

 beneath the waters perhaps eleven months of its life, in the 

 larva and pupa states, it is literally a walking pitfall for luckless 

 aquatic insects ; but when transformed into a fly, ever on the 

 wing in pursuit of its prey, it throws off all concealment, and 

 reveals the more unblushingly its rapacious character. 



Not only do its horrid visage and ferocious bearing frighten 

 children, who call it the " Devil's Darning-needle," but it even 

 distresses older persons, so that its name has become a byword. 

 Could we undei'Staud the language of insects, what tales of hor- 

 ror would be revealed! What traditions, sagas, fables, and 

 myths must adorn the annals of animal life regarding thi» 

 Dragon among insects ! 



To man, however, aside from its bad name and its repulsive 

 aspect, which its gay trappings do not conceal, its whole life is 

 beneficent. It is a scavenger, being like that class ugly and 

 repulsive, and holding literally, among insects, the lowest rank 

 in society. In the water, it preys upon young mosquitoes and 

 the larva3 of other noxious insects. It thus aids in maintaining 

 the balance of life, and cleanses the swamps of miasmata, thus 

 purifying the air we breathe. During its existence of three or 

 four weeks above the waters, its whole life is a continued good 

 to man. It hawks over pools and fields and through gardens, 

 decimating swarms of mosquitoes, flies, gnats, and other baneful 

 insects. It is a true Malthns' delight, and, following that san- 

 guinary philosopher, we may believe that our Dragon fly is an 

 (lOG) 



