52 THE REPORT OF THE [ No. 19 



appearance, I observed a dark speck moving rapidly on the white paper with which the 

 box was lined, and on examing with a lens 1 discovered it was a fly. It was honey-yellow 

 in colour ; its head was wide and squarish, with thorax of similar width, and abdomen 

 tapering suddenly to a point. Its eyes were situated on the outer corners of its head, 

 like those of a Cicada, dark colored and prominent. Its wings lay flat on its back, and 

 projected half their leng':h beyond the abdomen. It was very active, running rapidly and 

 disap[)earing by flight every now and again, to reappear in another part of the box. I 

 now turned my attention to the disolored eggs, and found several of them had holes in 

 their sides out of which Ichneumons had escaped ; and probably that fly was one of them. 

 Upon making a closer exaoaination all the discolored eggs had on their surface, what were 

 in all probability Ichneumon eggs, and upon one of them I counted six. Cleancat round 

 holes out of which Ichneumons had escaped were found, variously located on some of the 

 Ohrysopa eggs, but in no instance had there more than one parasite matured in any one 

 egg, and the great majority of them had not given forth any. There was abundant evi- 

 dence to prove it a clear case of overdone parasitism, and that the most of the parasites 

 had failed to mature from lack of sut-tenance. Many of the Ohrysopa eggs exhibited sev- 

 eral circular markings on their shells, as if they had been made on the inside preparatory 

 for the escape of the fly, which had died before accomplishing it ; whilst otihers shrunk 

 and cracked upon drying. 



A manifestation of this sort seems like a great waste cf energy in nature, and a lack 

 of intelligence on the part of the creature committing it, which is hardly in accord with 

 the theories promulgated by some writers about the forethought exercised by forms of 

 life, for the progress and improvempnt of their kind. In this instance we see merely a 

 female ichneumon, constrained by the controlling impulse of her nature to deposit her eggs. 

 Having found a clus-ter that answered her purpose, she fulfilled her mission regardless of 

 consequences ; and whilst she overlooked some of the eggs, she deposited far too many 

 upon others, which came very near exterminating a whole brood of this useful insect ; 

 whilst at the same time she nearly extinguished the Isfe of her own offi^pring. Therein 

 giving us a fine illustration of how the works of nature are carried on under an established 

 government by law ; when each individual is strictly following the controlling impulses 

 of its own nature, and yet is not prevented from tiking a departure from routine in cas'e 

 of an emergency. 



THE DRAGON-FLIES OF THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC. 

 By Rev. T. W. Fyles, D.C L., F.L.S. 



Among the most beautiful of the insect tribes are the dragon-flies. The imposing 

 size of many of the species, the brilliant colouring of their eyes and bodies, their wide- 

 spreading, closely reticulated wings, the rapidity of their flight, the dash and elan of their 

 approach, the rustle of their wings as they sweep around, fill the intruder upon their 

 haunts with admiration. 



This admiration is increased when an opportunity is aflFjrded for a close examination 

 of one of these remarkable objects. The head of the insect seems to be made up mainly 

 of eyes and mouth. The innumerable facets of the protruding, compound eyes glow with 

 prismatic hues. In ^ichnidseand Libellulidse these eyes are contiguous, and there is but 

 a very small space between them and the mouth organs ; but in this small space there are 

 three ocelli or single e\es. The dragon fly can see above and below, behind and before. 

 It detects every motion ni its enemy or its prey, and its powers of flight enable it to escape 

 from an assailant and overtake a fugi ive. 



The mouth of the dragon fly is furnished with two large flit lipp, which work up and 

 down, and enclose the mandibles and maxil'je like a visor. When the creature is feeding 

 this motion of the lips would lead one to think that the jaws move vertically, instead of 

 horizontally, as is really the case. 



Besides its powers of sight and its formidable mouth-organs, the dragon-fly has an 

 advantage which many other insects have not — its head moves freely on its neck. It can 

 turn its head half way round. Woe to the unhappy insect that comes in the way of so 

 formidable a spoiler ! 



The thorax of the dragon-fly is capacious and somewhat barrel shaped. It contains 



