206 BOULDEB REVERIES. 



for food. What preys upon the winged dragon- 

 fly ? Methinks its body is husk-like, dry and 

 indigestible. It evidently has few enemies. In 

 the larval state, when thicker bodied and more 

 juicy it has many among its aquatic neighbors. 

 When its juices have mainly changed to gauzy 

 wings and chitinous skin few are the forms 

 which can relish and digest it. 



Gracefully the wherrymen or water-striders 

 glide over these pools, borne up by the surface- 

 film of the water which, though invisible to 

 human eye, everywhere covers it like a mem- 

 brane stretched equally in all directions. The 

 wherrymen find this film a pavement well 

 suited for their airy feet, as they skate merrily 

 to and fro in search of living prey. When dis- 

 turbed they often move so swiftly that they seem 

 but darting lines as they circle round and round 

 each other in a mystic dance. The under parts 

 of the insect are densely covered with fine hairs 

 which form a perfect water-proof vestment. 

 The body is held just above the water by the 

 six legs, each of which rests in little saucer- 

 shaped depressions of the water-film. The 



