103 



THE DRAGON FLY. 



eggs. There must be more than one hundred eggs in one of 

 the large bunches. The eggs of some of the Agrions are bright 

 apple -green, but I cannot be sure that I have ever seen them in 

 the very act of oviposition. They have curious habits of set- 

 tling upon leaves and grass growing in the water, and often 

 allow their abdomens to fall below the surface of the water ; 

 sometimes they fly against the surface, but I never saw what I 



could assert to be the project- 

 ing of the eggs from 'the body 

 upon plants or into the water. 

 The English entomologists 

 assert that the female Agriou 

 goes below the surface to a 

 depth of several inches to 

 deposit eggs upon the sub- 

 merged stems of plants." The 

 Agrions, however, according 

 to Lucaze Duthiers, a French 

 anatomist, make, with the ovi- 

 positor, a little notch in the 

 plant upon which they lay their 

 eggs. 



These eggs soon hatch, pro- 

 bably during the heat of sum- 

 mer. The larva is very active 

 in its habits, being provided 

 with six legs, attached to the 

 thorax, on the back of which 

 are the little wing-pads, or 

 rudimentary wings. The large 



127. Under side of head of Diplax, 

 with the labuim or mask fully ex- 

 tended, x, x', x", the three subdi- 

 visions of the labium. y, the max- 

 illae or second pair of jaws. 



head is provided with enor- 

 mous eyes, while a pair of sim- 

 ple, minute eyelets (ocelli) are 

 placed near the origin of the small bristle-like feelers, or anten- 

 nae. Seen from beneath, instead of the formidable array of 

 jaws and accessory organs commonly observed in most carniv- 

 orous larva?, we see nothing but a broad, smooth mask covering 

 the lower part of the face ; as if from sheer modesty our young 

 Dragon fly was endeavoring to conceal a gape. But wait a 

 -moment. Some unwary insect comes within striking distance. 

 The battery of jaws is unmasjved, and opens upon the victim. 



