WEE WATER FOLK 15 



pond and stays there until all is safe 

 again. 



Although he is a water insect this little 

 beetle does not breathe as fishes do. He 

 cannot extract the oxygen from the water, 

 but has to obtain his supply from the air 

 above. So when he dives below he carries 

 with him a bubble of air, between the tips of 

 his wing cases, which glitters like a tiny ball 

 of quicksilver. 



Although Mr Whirligig is not a good walker, 

 he has a fine pair of gauzy wings tucked away 

 under his hard, polished wing cases, and can fly 

 as well as any land beetle. He is not able to 

 spring straight out of the water, like a flying 

 fish, so when he feels inclined for a flight he 

 first climbs a little way up the stem of a water 

 plant, then slowly opens his wing cases, 

 unfurls his gauzy wings, and away he goes ! 



As he flies through the air the Whirligig 

 hums like a bee ; and before starting off on 

 his journey he usually makes a funny squeak- 

 ing noise, by rubbing the edges of his wing 

 cases against a hard ring on his body, to let 

 the other beetles know he is coming. 



In the spring-time only one or two Whirligigs 

 are to be seen. They are last year's beetles 



