Animals. 79 



are like those of the butterfly; those were made, you will 

 remember, of a great many little eyes. 



Into how many parts is this insect divided? How does 

 the abdomen compare with the abdomen of the butterfly ? 

 The beetle ? How many rings in the abdomen ? Where 

 is the end of the abdomen? What is the shape of the 

 abdomen ? How does it compare in length with the chest 

 (thorax)? How do the wings differ from those of the 

 butterfly ? The beetle ? The wings are like lace or netting. 

 How long is the fore wing ? Hind wing ? How wide is the 

 fore wing ? Hind wing ? Draw the insect back view, front 

 view, side view. Draw a fore wing exactly. Notice the 

 beautiful veining of the wings. Examine the legs carefully. 

 Notice the little feet. Did you ever see dragon-flies differ- 

 ent from this one? Yes, some have shorter bodies with 

 brown bands across the wings, and some are much smaller 

 and deep bright blue in color. 



Notice the colors of the wings when held sidewise in the 

 sunlight. This is somewhat like the colors of a soap-bubble. 



Natural History. The eggs are laid in the water, where 

 they hatch out into a large larva. The larvae feed on wig- 

 glers (mosquitoes), and when ready to come out of the water 

 they split open and escape pretty much as the mosquito 

 and the cicada do. Then they fly away in search of more 

 mosquitoes. It is claimed that during their entire life the 

 dragon-flies live on mosquitoes. That is why they are such 

 friends to man, and that is why they like to fly around the 

 water where mosquitoes are to be found. 



Did you ever watch a dragon-fly as he flew along ? How 

 he darts forward and then pauses in mid-air, seeming to be 

 at rest while his gauze wings beat the air at a truly wonder, 

 ful rate. 



Language Lessons. I saw a big dragon-fly. A boy said 

 he would sew up my ears. The dragon-fly has four wings. 

 The beetle has four wings. The dragon-fly cannot dig in 

 the dirt like a beetle. If he dug, he would tear his wings. 

 The butterfly cannot dig. The dirt would scrape the dust- 



