246 THE WOODLANDS. 



certain to encounter the great Dragon-fly restlessly 

 darting about the avenues. Yet, from their associa- 

 tions, we should rather be disposed to regard them 

 as insects belonging to rivers and marshes. Their 

 larvae are aquatic, but the mature insects may be seen 

 skimming about almost everywhere. Dr. Packard 

 says : " Were we to select from among the insects a 

 type of all that is savage, relentless, and bloodthirsty, 

 the Dragon-fly would be our choice. From the mo- 

 ment of its birth until its death, nearly a twelvemonth, 

 it riots in bloodshed and carnage. Living beneath 

 the waters perhaps eleven months of its life, in the 

 larva and pupa states, it is literally a walking pitfall 

 for luckless aquatic insects; but when transformed 

 into a fly, ever on the wing in pursuit of its prey, it 

 throws off all concealment, and reveals the more un- 

 blushingly its rapacious character. Not only does its 

 horrid visage and ferocious bearing frighten children, 

 who call it the Devil's darning-needle, but it even 

 distresses older persons, so that its name has become 

 a by-word. Could we understand the language of 

 insects, what tales of horror would be revealed ! What 

 traditions, sagas, fables, and myths must adorn the 

 annals of animal life regarding this dragon amongst 

 insects." 



The Springtails are little insects generally found 

 on the ground in damp places, under stones, old 

 bark, rotten wood, and dead leaves. Some kinds fre- 

 quent damp cellars and dark cupboards. On being 

 disturbed, most species skip off like fleas to a great 

 distance, by means of a forked apparatus which is 

 pressed under and close to the belly. By striking this 



