6 UP AND DOWN THE BROOKS. 



Celestial medicine from horned toads and like 

 crawling things. 



Another large dragon-fly larva comes to the 

 surface accompanied by two or three polliwogs. 

 I remember being present at the massacre of a 

 small company of polliwogs by some dragon-fly 

 larvae. The cool deliberation with which one of 

 those larvae, in particular, would crawl cautiously 

 up a stick inside of the bottle, and, holding on 

 near the end, would wait there until one of those 

 black, immature toads came within reach, was 

 terrible. Nearer came the polliwog, wriggling 

 happily through the water, all un- 

 conscious of danger ; and the larva, 

 throwing out its mask and drawing 

 it back again over the mouth so sud- 

 denly that the mask was just per- 

 ceptible, would take a bite out of the 

 polliwog. The poor victim would go 

 rushing on, and the larva, having 

 disposed of one mouthful, would pat 

 its head with one foot, as if to pack 

 the first morsel safely in, and then 



WOuld 1>each Ut aild take another 



bite from the next polliwog that 

 came within reach, without reference at all to the 

 fact that it was not the same polliwog to which 

 the first mouthful belonged. Meantime, the other 

 dragon-fly larvae on the bottom of the jar were 

 taking their meals in much the same fashion. 



