18 UP AND DOWN THE BROOKS. 



held up to view a thumb that certainly showed 

 no trace of the dire combat described. 



Scorpion-bug bearing epaulette, rather enlarged. 



" What did you do with the bug ? " I asked. 



u Killed him," responded the youth. 



When bumble-bees buzz round the blackberry 

 blossoms in April, occasionally one finds in this 

 brook a female scorpion-bug bearing her eggs on 

 her back, looking as though a second story had 

 been built on top of her, the egg-mass being some- 

 times as thick as the average scorpion - bug's 

 body. The eggs are placed regularly, standing 

 up from the wings. On one such bug's back I 

 counted one hundred and twenty-six eggs. Per- 

 haps I was slightly mistaken, as the work of 

 counting was somewhat difficult, but that must 

 have been about the number. 



A bug bearing such a burden as this is easily 

 scared. Solitary confinement literally frightens 

 the creature to death. Twice I have attempted 

 to keep such a bug alone, but within twenty-four 

 hours or so the poor prisoner would be found 



