WELCH J HATER I. \ SECTS 185 



slowly bring the mouth of the net near them, and then make a 

 very sudden sweep of the surface and there is some chance that 

 some of the specimens will be caught in the net. Keep a num- 

 ber of them in a covered aquarium and feed then on bits of raw- 

 meat or small water worms. The slender larvae (Fig. 18) may 

 also be kept in a jar and fed with small water insects. 



The Large Giant Water Bug (Fig. 9). 



The Large Giant Water Bug is the largest of all the water 

 bugs. It is about 2J inches long and about 1^ inches broad, with 

 a broad flattened body. The second and third pairs of legs are 

 heavy, flattened, and oar-like, while the first pair of legs is held 

 forward in a grasping position. The large wings lie flat on the 

 back when not in use. The large size alone will enable the pupil to 

 recognize this insect. It usually rests or swims about at the bottom 

 of the pond. The eggs are laid in clusters above water on stems 

 of water plants, and these hatch out larvae which are surprisingly 

 larger than the eggs. These larvae pass their entire life in the 

 water, and the same is true of the adult, although it does come out 

 for a short flying season to find its mate or a new pond. At such 

 a time they are often to be found around electric lights at night. 

 They feed on other water insects, young fish, and tadpoles. Col- 

 lect them at any time during Spring. Summer, or Autumn by 

 sweeping the water plants at the edges of quiet water or ponds. 

 They can often be caught by vigorously hauling ashore the trash 

 which lies under the water near the edge. They can be kept alive 

 in the aquarium for a long time. Keep the aquarium covered 

 since they may fly out at night. Feed them on any of the smaller 

 water insects. 



The Small Gl\xt Water Bug (Fig. 10). 



This bug, like the Large Giant Water Bug, has a broad flat 

 body with two swimming legs and one pair of grasping legs, w ell 

 developed wings, and a strong beak. It is much smaller, being a 

 little less than an inch long, and the body is more oval. It often 

 occurs in some abundance in muddy ponds containing an abun- 

 dance of water plants and in sluggish streams having a muddy 

 bottom. It comes to the surface frequently to get a supply of 

 air. The young collector will probably find specimens carrying 

 a load of eggs on their backs. These are the males on whose 

 backs the eggs have been fastened by the females and the eggs 

 are carried in this way until they hatch. They feed on many 

 other water insects and larvae, such as water boatmen, back- 



