576 



Insects. 



THE GREAT DRAGON FLY. (Libellula grandis.) 



THIS genus of insects is well known to every one. The 

 larva lives in the water, and wears a kind of mask, 

 which it moves at will, and which serves to hold its 

 prey while it devours it. The pupa closely resembles 

 the larva in its form, except that at the sides of the body 

 the wings are seen enclosed in thin cases. The period 

 of transformation being come, the pupa goes to the 

 water-side, and fixes on a plant, or sticks fast to a piece 

 of dry wood, in which position it remains for some little 

 time, when the skin of the nymph splitting at the upper 

 part of the thorax, the winged insect issues forth gra- 

 dually, throws off its slough, expands its wings, flutters, 

 and then flies off with gracefulness and ease. The ele- 

 gance of its slender shape, the richness of its colours, 

 the delicacy and resplendent texture of its wings, render 

 it a beautiful object. It is in length about four inches. 



The female deposits her eggs in the water, from which 

 spring the larvae, which afterwards undergo the same 

 transformations. 



The Day Fly (Ephemera), so called on account of the 

 shortness of its life, is a small insect originating from a 

 larva residing in rivers. After remaining several months 

 in the creeping state, a nymph is formed, from which 



