44 INSECT LIFE IN POND AND STREAM 



not, of course, so plentiful as flies and gnats 

 or even butterflies and moths. They haunt 

 the streams, the pools and the banks of rivers, 

 and the meadows, lanes, and woodland glades 

 near by. 



Some people are afraid of Dragon-flies, and 

 country folk often call them " Horse-stingers." 

 But this is a foolish name to give these lovely 

 insects, as they do not sting horses or any- 

 thing else. They have no sting, and are really 

 perfectly harmless, although some of the big 

 fellows certainly do look rather alarming, as 

 they swoop through the air ; and I heard of a 

 small boy once, who seeing, for the first time, 

 some great green Dragon-flies darting round a 

 pond, ran home in great excitement, and said 

 he had seen some flying serpents ! 



But although we may call them harmless, 

 the insect folk, if they could speak, would 

 have a very different tale to tell, for these 

 great insects are the dragons of the insect 

 world. They are mighty hunters, and seem 

 to delight in chasing and killing all kinds of 

 helpless insects, even when they are not 

 hungry, for they capture many more than they 

 can possibly need for food. They pounce 

 fiercely upon flies, moths, and butterflies, 



