218 NORTH AMERICAN INSECTS. 



iantly colored rings and spots upon their bodies, and a 

 variety of colors and shades of blue, green, yellow, and 

 brown upon their heads and necks, which would justly raise 

 them to the rank of Nature's beauties. During the preva- 

 lence of some fashions, their slender form would be con- 

 sidered one of the elements of their beauty ; but in this 

 swelling age, and among the expansive circles which are 

 now deemed the most ornamental array of Nature's loveliest 

 and most perfect beings, we presume the porcupine, with 

 erected bristles, would be generally esteemed the more beau- 

 tiful animal. 



The dragon-flies are hardly ever seen at rest, but are in 

 continual motion, flying past us almost as quick as light- 

 ning, and winging their way through the air over gardens, 

 meadows, rivulets, and ponds. The water is their birth- 

 place ; but when they assume the perfect-winged form they 

 seem to sport with unbounded joy in the airy element, as if 

 they had reached a more elevated and more joyous sphere, 

 and they only approach the water again, flying over its sur- 

 face, for the purpose of confiding to its placid and nurturing 

 bosom the cell-germs of their future offspring. 



Notwithstanding the very flattering titles with which the 

 French and Germans have honored them on account of 

 their cleanliness, their delicate form, and the beauty which 

 they attributed to their colors and motions we can hardly 

 look upon them as deserving such names, when we consider 

 their rapacious character and cruel dispositions. Instead 

 of being mild and gentle, like the butterflies or other winged 

 inhabitants of the air who draw their nourishment from the 

 fruits and flowers, these insects are savage beasts of prey, 

 merciless assassins, who plow the airy waves for no other 

 purpose than, falcon-like, to catch with their claws all 

 kinds of winged insects that they meet, and devour them 

 with their powerful jaws. Nor are they at all dainty in 

 the choice of their food ; for the fat, blue meat-fly, as well as 



