8 UP AND DOWN THE BROOKS. 



as the larger ones seem sometimes subject to. 

 The moult is often over, and the dragon-fly is 

 ready for flight in an hour or two from the time 

 of the beginning of the performance. It is easy 

 to know when one of the larvaB is about to moult, 

 since, for a day or less before this event, the 

 larvae are in the habit of crawling up the stick 

 that is always left in the jar to serve as a sort of 

 ladder, and of staying near the surface of the 

 water, occasionally putting their heads out into 

 the air. It is an interesting sight to watch the 

 dragon-fly, after moulting, when the wings are 

 gradually being drawn out to their full size, the 

 fine veinings slowly becoming more and more 

 distinct, spots of green or blue, markings of brown 

 and yellow, or shades of pink and straw-color are 

 making their appearance, while the dragon-fly oc- 

 casionally lifts one foot and passes it over its 

 head, moving the joint of the neck and bobbing 

 the head up and down, as if to be sure that it is 

 securely fastened on, and has not become loose in 

 the pulling off of that skin overcoat. 



Once in a while a dragon-fly makes a mistake, 

 and leaves one leg behind him in his haste to get 

 out of his old dress ; but there is no going back 

 and looking in pockets for anything that may be 

 missed. Such a dragon-fly is henceforth five- 

 footed, and seems to suffer but little inconven- 

 ience from the lack of the sixth member, except 

 that in crawling there appears to be an inclina- 



