40 UP AND DOWN THE BROOKS. 



larva need fear him long. He drooped ; black- 

 headed worms lost all charms for him ; he trav- 

 elled neither backward nor forward ; grim Death 

 claimed him for his own, and a prospective beetle 

 was lost to the world. 



The Hydrophilidce themselves had their own 

 troubles. Opening the jar one day, I found two 

 of the beetles carrying a yellow burden apiece. 

 On examination the burdens proved to be small 

 yellow leeches that had calmly appropriated these 

 two beetles and forced them to carry them around 

 on their backs. Securing one of the beetles I at- 

 tacked its burden, but it was only after much 

 pulling and many exertions both by the beetle 

 and myself that the leech finally let go and col- 

 lapsed into a disgusted heap in one corner of the 

 spoon. During the struggle a number of baby 

 leeches had detached themselves from their par- 

 ent and were scattered over the spoon. On put- 

 ting the leeches into water the children gradually 

 began to come back arid cling once more to the 

 larger leech. I had a similar struggle with the 

 leech attached to the other beetle, but the young 

 leeches were smaller than those in the first in- 

 stance. Think of the sorrows of a poor beetle in 

 a pond, with no friendly hand to take such a life- 

 menacing burden from his back. 



After diligent search, another larva was fished 

 from the pool in which the Hydrophilidcu had 

 their former residence, and was brought home to 



