The Wonderful Ways of Insects and Spiders [ 269 



to the surface of the water to inhale through their short breathing 

 tubes. 



Crane Flies: Often a child believes that he has discovered a giant 

 mosquito when he sees a long-legged, gangling creature awkwardly 

 drifting through the air. The chances are it is a crane fly an 

 absolutely harmless insect. In spring and autumn you may see 

 large swarms of crane flies dancing a few feet above the ground 

 or water. 



The Dragonfly Beautiful, and Useful Too 



"DEVIL'S DARNING NEEDLE" AND OTHER NICKNAMES 



Though the dragonfly is one of the most beautiful of all 

 insects, and harmless as well, it may terrify a small child who has 

 heard some of its nicknames and the old fables in which they 

 originated. "Devil's darning needle" recalls the old superstition 

 that this insect can sew up children's ears; "mule-killer" reminds 

 us that the dragonfly was once believed to kill livestock. The 

 name "snake-doctor" was inspired by the weird notion that it 

 brought dead water snakes to life. 



An Underlip With Claws: However, "mosquito hawk" is a well- 

 deserved title, for dragonflies in their nymphal stage (spent in 

 water) eat quantities of mosquito larvae. As an adult, a dragonfly 

 catches all sorts of insects on the wing flies, honeybees, butter- 

 flies, and sometimes other dragonflies smaller than itself. The 

 nymph has a long underlip that folds back between its front 

 legs. When it approaches a victim this lower lip shoots out 

 rapidly and grasps the prey with two claws that form a pair of 

 pincers at its end. Though it is a serious threat to mosquitoes 

 and other insects, the dragonfly neither stings nor bites people. 



The Metamorphosis of the Dragonfly: If yours is a family of early 

 risers, you may some day thrill to the memorable sight of a 

 dragonfly emerging from its nymph. You would have to go 

 exploring along the edge of a pond about six o'clock of a summer 

 morning and watch carefully for one of the grotesque nymphs 



