MY WATER-LOVERS. 45 



quires ; but notice, as we go, how the tops of the 

 green water-weeds are decorated with the white 

 webs of these Hydrophttidce. It is strange that, 

 considering the number of eggs, the dredger does 

 not more often catch the larvae, but any one who 

 has kept such creatures knows that they are very 

 clever at concealing themselves. These egg- webs 

 are clear above the water. If one did not know 

 better one might pass them by as the webs of so 

 many spiders. M. Figuier gives the time of the 

 spinning of the egg-cases of the European Hydro- 

 philidte as April. Here the time is earlier, for 

 one of my beetles celebrated St. Patrick's Day, 

 March 17th, by spinning an egg-case. This is the 

 earliest egg of these beetles that I have ever seen, 

 although March 19th I found three in the brook, 

 and one looked as though it might have been laid 

 several days before. During the last ten days in 

 March one can find many egg-webs on the reedy 

 grass that dips into the water. 



These HydrophilidcB do not always place the 

 eggs above the surface of the water, but, when 

 these beetles are in jars, often put the webs where 

 they are covered, and there is no air-tube rising 

 from each egg to the air, as in the egg-cases of the 

 large European beetles. If one drives away a 

 beetle from her work before the case is closed one 

 may look into the dainty white receptacle and see 

 the bright-yellow egg-mass. A week afterward 7 

 if the beetle did not come back to finish her egg- 



