2 UP AND DOWN THE BROOKS. 



larval and perfect forms of insect-life. Great, 

 sprawling, green larvae of dragon-flies cling with 

 their six legs to the dredger, and, to their indig- 

 nation, are tumbled headlong into the pail that 

 is to carry the findings home. Smaller Iarva3 of 

 the Agrion dragon-flies come with them. Qccfa 

 sionally one of the Hydrometridce, so-called water- 

 spiders, or skaters, that spend life in an almost 

 endless skate on top of the water, comes up in 

 my dredger, gazes at me in surprise, and then 

 skips back into the pool, to begin again the skat- 

 ing-match with his brethren, and to watch for any 

 unlucky yellow morsel of a lady-bug that may 

 chance to fall from the overhanging grasses into 

 the brook. Did Don Luis Peralta, half a century 

 ago, when he gave this land to Antonio Maria, 

 know what a multitude of living creatures he gave 

 with it ? 



Now and then one of the black Dytiscidce, or 

 Water-Tigers, an inch in 

 length, tumbles clumsily 

 from the dredger ; and his 

 smaller brethren abound. 

 These Dytiscidce are mur- 

 derers at heart, as no one 

 can doubt who has ever 

 seen an earth-worm in 

 their power. No sooner 

 does the earth-worm fall 

 into the water of the bottle in which these beetles 



Water-skater. 

 Hydrotrechus remigis. 



