1 60 INSECT OBSER VA TION. 



Now a glittering dragon-fly darts down the 

 grassy alley seeking its prey. It, too, rejoices in 

 the sunshine and poises lightly on the tip of a leaf 

 between its flights to enjoy the welcome beams. 

 These huge flies adopt a particular haunt, and will 

 remain there hawking up and down day after day. 

 I often become acquainted with individual dragon- 

 flies from seeing them so often : I know where to 

 find them on sunny days. If they are unmolested 

 and you move gently enough they will allow you 

 to approach them closely, and I believe in time 

 they would take a fly from your fingers. There 

 is hardly a more beautiful insect than /EsJma 

 grandis, one of the largest of our native dragon - 

 flies. In life its eyes glisten like opals with 

 changing colours, its long body is a marvel of 

 bluish green and black mosaic markings, and its 

 four lace-like wings are fit to adorn the Queen of 

 the Fairies. 1 It is hard to convince people that 



1 " And forth on floating gauze, no jewelled queen 

 So rich, the green-eyed dragon-flies would break, 

 And hover on the flowers aerial things, 

 With little rainbows flickering on their wings." 



JEAN INGELOW. 



