WATER BEETLES 39 



capsizes ; and then the little larvae hatch and 

 make their escape into the water. 



Now wouldn't you 'think the children of these 

 peaceful Water-beetles would be gentle, well- 

 behaved little grubs ? But, oh dear no ! 

 They are just as wicked as they can be, and are 

 almost as much dreaded by the inhabitants 

 of the pool as the bold, fierce larva of the 

 Brown Water-beetle. They are not content 

 to browse quietly on the water weeds as their 

 parents do, but kill and devour all the little 

 water-folk they can manage to catch ; and if 

 the supply of food is not very plentiful, they 

 think nothing of eating each other ! 



They are ugly-looking things too. When 

 first they leave their little boat they are 

 mouse-coloured, and of course very tiny ; but, 

 strange to say, before they have taken any 

 food, these odd little grubs at once puff 

 themselves out until they are three or four 

 times as big as when they popped out of 

 their egg cases. When full grown they are 

 great fat things, quite three inches long, with 

 thick, soft, soot-coloured bodies, but their 

 heads and shoulders are hard and a shiny 

 reddish-brown. Whether they are resting or 

 creeping over the floor of the pool, these ugly 



