BEETLES THAT "BLUFF'' 227 



backwards and forwards like two playful lambs. Then 

 the female pretends to run away and the male runs after 

 her. With a queer appearance of anger, he gets in front 

 and stands facing her again ; then she turns coyly round, 

 but he, quicker and more active, scuttles round too, and 

 seems to whip her with his antennae ; then for a bit they 

 stand face to face, play with their antenna and seem to 

 be all in all to one another." 



The Dragon-flies are among the most beautiful of 

 insects ; they are also relatively long-lived, and they are 

 conspicuous. Yet this beauty must be attributed to 

 some inherent inward grace rather than to the aesthetic 

 instincts of the female. Moreover, in the matter of size 

 and beauty there is little to choose between the sexes ; 

 where any difference occurs the males have the advantage. 

 Though the mode of copulation is well known, nothing 

 has been discovered as to the means whereby male and 

 female discover one another. It is doubtful whether 

 this can be done by sight, for with all the beauty of their 

 shimmering suits of mail and gauzy wings, their vision 

 is limited to a field of a few inches. Possibly scent is their 

 guide ; at any rate, dead Dragon-flies have a vile odour. 



It is worth noting that there are no wingless Dragon- 

 flies, and that none have developed unnecessary ornament 

 in the form of spines, horns, or frills of any kind, such as 

 are so commonly met with among groups of more sedentary 

 habits like the Phasmidae and the Beetles, for example. 

 In other words, there is clearly a direct relation between 

 ornament and the mode of Ufe. It is also clear that some 

 modes of subsistence are very inelastic, allowing of no 

 more than very slight structural variations, for the Dragon- 

 flies are an extremely ancient group. Fossil species of 

 large size are known from the Lower Lias, and the remains 



-5* 



