The restful twilight hours of summer tempt not only bats 
from their hiding places, but a host of other winged creatures 
which are rarely to be seen, or heard, during the glare of noon. 
Among these is the lumbering dor-beetle, who, with lazy drone 
steers clear of solid objects only with difficulty. Many, indeed, 
are his failures. He and his kin are no match for bats and owls, 
who find them juicy morsels! On the next opportunity catch 
one and examine him. His wings are curiously interesting. There 
are the usual two pairs: but the fore-wings have been changed to 
serve as covers for the hind-wings. During flight they are 
spread outwards, and indirectly, no doubt, assist flight. But the 
hind-wings are the real propellers. And it will be noticed that 
when not in use they can be folded up in a perfectly wonderful 
manner, so as to lie completely underneath the fore-wings, or 
“elytra,” so that when the creature is crawling it appears to be 
wingless. 
Now compare these with the transparent wings of the bee, 
or the gorgeously scale-covered wings of the butterfly. It is 
well worth while. If this examination be done very carefully, 
and with the aid of a magnifying glass, it will be found that the 
fore and hind wings are yoked together in the wing of the bee, 
by a delicate mechanism of hooks. In the moths, but not in the 
butterflies, a bristle, or sometimes two or three bristles, serve 
the same purpose. Further, in the case of the bee it will be found 
Io 
