30G FACT AGAIIXST I^ICTION. 



water," and let us look at the curious habits of the 

 clragon-flies. There tliey are, some of them conjoined 

 in pairs, as before described, di})ping' up and down 

 over a given spot for the tail of the female at 

 intervals to toucli the water. Look at that appa- 

 rently heavy dragon-fly, who wings by with rather 

 laborious action ; there is not one fly, but two, only 

 the female needs repose ; and for this purpose, while 

 the loving male still holds to the back of her head, 

 she doubles herself beneath him, and, passing between 

 his legs, aflixes her tall to his chest or throat, thougli 

 not in savage guise, thus comfortably assisting him 

 to hold her weight without additional assistance from 

 her passive wings, they proceed to rest in each other's 

 embraces on some broad leaf above the Avater. 



Among the dragon-flies their colours differ 

 greatly. They are blue, red, and variegated^ 

 but occasionally may be observed, in single in- 

 stances only, according to my experience, a huge 

 and brilliantly-beautiful specimen of this genus j 

 ncjt only about the water, Ijut at great distances 

 from it, wlio seems always to be in search of 

 something, or to have an inordinate aj^petite for 

 the sport of devouring small flies. He, she, or 

 it, whichever it is, is so large, that the wings 



