296 DRAGON-FLIES. 



spent in the water, and the shorter portion on land. 

 Whether it be aquatic or terrestrial, it is equally fero- 

 cious, and, as we shall see, is equally fitted for the 

 purpose of preying upon other creatures. 



The eggs of this insect are dropped into the water by 

 the parent, and are there hatched. The little creature 

 grows with great rapidity, and, for convenience' sake, we 

 will pass over the first few months of its life, until it 

 reaches the length of an inch and a half, or thereabouts, 

 when it will assume the form shown in the lower figure 

 of the accompanying illustration. 



It is of a pale greyish-brown colour, with a few darker 

 spots and bars ; and when taken out of the water, only 

 struggles vaguely in its attempts to escape, without 

 giving the least indication of its wonderful structure and 

 singular habits. 



There is no difficulty in taking these creatures, which 

 abound in almost every pond, and can be captured by 

 scraping the water weeds with an ordinary insect net. 



The best plan of watching them is to take a single 

 specimen and place it in a shallow basin of water, which 

 should not be more than two inches deep. Scatter a 

 little sand in the water, so that it shall lie smoothly on 

 the bottom of the basin. There will be no need to cover 

 the basin, for the creature will not endeavour to leave 

 the water. 



It will crawl very feebly and slowly for a time, but 

 presently it will glide through the water without any 

 apparent means of propulsion. Look at the sand, and 



