136 LIFE IN THE INSECT WORLD. 



understands boat building better than we do in 

 some respects, as her little boat will not fill with 

 water, and cannot be made to sink. 



A naturalist, determined to prove this, placed 

 half a 'dozen of them in a tumbler half filled 

 with water, and then holding a quart bottle a 

 foot above them, poured a heavy stream upon 

 them. But although this treatment was so 

 rough as actually to throw one of them out of 

 the glass, the remaining five continued to float, 

 without a drop of water in them. They were 

 afterward pushed to the bottom of the glass, 

 but immediately came up, apparently as dry as 

 before. 



Each of these boats contains from two hun- 

 dred and fifty to three hundred and fifty eggs, 

 which are soon hatched, the grubs issuing from 

 the lower part. 



Soon after they are hatched, they may be 

 seen floating on the surface of the water, swim- 

 ming about, generally with their heads down 

 and their tails up , having in the latter a sort of 

 funnel-shaped tube for breathing. In this state 

 they live upon those very minute animals which 

 are always found in water, and which are so 

 small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye, 



