14 CONNECTICUT GEOL. AND NAT. HIST. SURVEY [BuU. 



hunting down the mosquito itself when adult. No nymph, how- 

 ever, is fastidious in selecting its food, and there is hardly one 

 which will not devour with apparent relish the members of its own 

 family. Probably some of all aquatic families of insects are eaten 

 as well as other aquatic animals not belonging to this class. 



Nearly all damsel flies lay their eggs in the stems of plants. Of 

 the Anisoptera, the Aeshnidae lay eggs in plants or soft mud, 

 and the Cordulinae lay gelatinous masses containing many eggs 

 which are draped over aquatic vegetation or other support.^ The 

 remaining families for the most part drop their eggs into the 

 water direct. 



The damsel flies often descend several inches below the surface 

 of the water, but Lestes are said to oviposit above the surface. 

 Libellulidae may frequently be seen skimming close to the water 

 and occasionally dipping the tip of the abdomen, thereby releasing 

 the &gg, which sinks to the bottom. 



The following interesting account of the oviposition habits of 

 Enallagma aspersum is taken from an article in the Maine Natura- 

 list II, p. 133, by William Colcord Woods : "After a sufficient trial 

 of our patience, we saw a couple 'land' on a pipewort stem near 

 by. They alighted head upward. The male released the female 

 from his grasp, clung to the stem some ten or fifteen minutes, 

 and then flew ofif to join his companions in their patrol, but his 

 mate, rapidly executing an about face and folding her wings 

 closely about her, hurried fearlessly down the stalk into the water. 

 She crawled down the stem, and then explored the weed-grown 

 bottom, poking her abdomen here and there, doubtless in the act 

 of oviposition. From time to time she thrust her abdomen between 

 her wings, which had a glistening silvery appearance under water, 

 and we wondered whether she may have used air imprisoned there 

 for respiration, for this species can remain under water a remark- 

 ably long time for an aerial species. She had ranged at least two 

 feet from the stem on which she made her descent, and had been 

 submerged more than twenty-five minutes when we disturbed her. 

 Would she just stay down there and die? What would be the 

 outcome of her plunge? It was not our patience but our noon- 

 time which was exhausted, for we had not been sent down there 

 to study blue damsel flies, so reluctantly one of us thrust in a stick 

 and poked the busy mother. Immediately she loosed her hold, and 

 floated at once to the surface, when to our utter astonishment 

 down swooped a watchful male, who, catching her by the nape 

 of the neck, drew her out of the water. As soon as she had been 

 lifted above the surface film, she was abk to use her wings, and 

 the pair flew oflf together." 



^ Ent. News 16: 255-7: 1905. 



