382 THE LEECH. 



inches ; but in America, and the East, they are nearly 

 double the size, and are likewise found in such amazing 

 numbers, that it is dangerous to pass through their 

 marshy grounds, or to bathe in pools where they are 

 known to reside. 



The method to be adopted in applying leeches, is to 

 have them taken out of the water an hour or two be- 

 fore they are intended to be used, and if they do not 

 appear desirous of their sanguinary sustenance, to rub 

 the part they are wanted to adhere to with sugared milk 

 or blood. The propagation of this species is different 

 to the rest of the reptile creation, as they always bring 

 forth their young alive, and produce from forty to fifty 

 at a birth. 



CHAP. XII. 



INSECTS OF THE SECOND ORDER. 



WE now come to a second order of insects formed 

 from eggs like those we have just described, but supe- 

 rior to them, from possessing wings, though incapable 

 of using them when first endowed with life. In this 

 class may be ranked the dragon-fly, the lion-ant, the 

 grasshopper, the locust, the cricket, the wood-cricket, 

 the mole-cricket, the flea-locust, the flying-bug, tin.; 

 tipula, the water-scorpion, and the water-fly. 



THE LIBF.LLA, OR DRAGON-FLY. 



Of all the flies that adorn the face of nature, or by 

 the diversity of their colours embellish the surrounding 

 scene, the dragon-fly obtains pre-eminence for the va- 

 riety of its tints, which exhibits a happy mixture of 

 crimson, scarlet, blue, and green. 



