EATING INSECTS. 159 



Like the swallow and the bat, also, the dragon-flies 

 always catch their prey on the wing, but, like the fly- 

 catcher and the butcher-birds {Laniidce, Vigors), 

 they always return to their resting-place, to devour it 

 at leisure. While the Rev. R. Sheppard was sitting 

 by the side of a pond, to observe a large dragon-fly 

 as it was hawking backwards and forwards in search 

 of prey, a cabbage butterfly {Pontia Brassicce) sud- 

 denly flew past. The dragon-fly instantly attacked 

 and caught it in the air, then settled on a twig, close 

 at hand, to eat it at leisure. It bit off" the wings, and 

 then, in less than a minute, devoured the body.* 



' I have been much amused,' says Kirby, ' by ob- 

 serving the proceedings of a species, not uncommon 

 here. It keeps wheeHng round and round, and 

 backwards and forwards, over a considerable portion 

 of the pool it frequents. If one of the species comes 

 in its way, a battle ensues ; if other species of the 

 family presume to approach, it drives them away, and 

 it is continually engaged in catching water-flies 

 (^Pliryganecd), and other insects, that fly over the 

 water, pulling off* their wings with great adroitness, 

 and devouring in an instant the contents of the 

 body.'t 



It is not a little remarkable that this voracious and 

 blood-thirsty family are very conspicuous for gay and 

 even gaudy colouring, from which the French have 

 been led to give them the inappropriate name of 

 damsels {Demoiselles), and the systematic writers such 

 appellations as pretty-wing ( Calepteryx) girl (JPuel- 

 la)y bride (Sponsa), and virgin {Virgo). Kirby very 

 correctly talks of their ' dress ' as ' silky, brilliant, 

 and variegated, and trimmed with the finest lace ;' 

 and Mouffet, with no less truth, says, they ' set 

 forth Nature's elegancy beyond the expression of 



* Bingley, Anim. Biogr. iv, 117. 

 t Intr. i, 276. 



