46 THE DRAGON FLY. CHAP. v. 



any way injured I will not have it." Away the boys 

 went hunting butterflies. Sometimes they brought him 

 in a good specimen, and he gave them sixpence for it. 

 Sixpence was a fortune to them. It bought no end of 

 tops, clagum, and sweeties. If the butterfly was of no 

 use, he would take it in his hand, and let it out of the 

 back window. " Perhaps," he said, " they may bring 

 something valuable next time." When an unusual 

 butterfly was brought to him, he took great care of it, 

 saw it go through its various transformations, and noted 

 the results. s 



His love of insects became known, and his curiosity 

 about them spread throughout the neighbourhood. 

 Country people called upon him and brought what they 

 thought rare things. One day a man called upon him, 

 and, standing right before him, took out of his pocket a 

 paper lucifer box, and cautiously screwing off the lid, he 

 said " See !" Dick looked into the box, and seizing the 

 creature within it by the tail, he pulled it out, and then 

 shoved it in again. " Won't it sting ?" asked the man. 

 " Oh, no," said Dick, " it is a very humble creature, 

 only the Green Dragon My : it lives by devouring small 

 flies." " Oh !" said the man, " the country folks call it 

 the Bull Adder, and they say that it stings." " I 

 wouldn't have taken it by the tail if it did." "Won't you 

 have it ?" " No !" The man accordingly went away 

 with the dragon-fly in his box. 



Robert Dick's mind was athirst for knowledge at this 

 time. He was searching for facts of all sorts. In 1835 

 he attended three courses of lectures delivered by Mr. 



