198 THE DRAGON FLY. 



and ponds, they are not, when in their winged state, 

 confined to those situations, but roam to a considerable 

 distance in quest of their food. They may be often 

 seen hovering over flowers, especially those of which 

 the nectaries are so deep that the small flies, which 

 live upon the honey, are forced to creep into them. 

 From this, one who had not watched them, would be 

 apt to suppose that they were in quest of honey. 

 That, however, is not their food : they frequent those 

 places in order that they may prey upon the flies 

 which are intent upon the honey ; and if one finds a 

 dragon fly quietly pounced upon a flower, one may be 

 sure that he has made a capture. The large ones may 

 be found on the margins of rivers, beating the reeds 

 and sedges, and other aquatic plants, with the greatest 

 assiduity, in order to discover the moths that shelter 

 there in the heat of the day. The only safety of the 

 moth is in concealment, for the dragon fly is provided 

 with powerful organs of vision as well as of motion, 

 and if he once gets sight of the prey, he seldom quits 

 it, and will even pick it up from the surface of the 

 water with great agility, though, in those cases, the 

 salmon sometimes make reprisals. The usual way 

 with the dragon fly is to pounce upon his victims while 

 they are sitting ; and for that purpose, his favourite 

 time of hunting is when the sun is clear. This not 

 only finds him easier prey, as the moths are very 

 reluctant to stir in such states of the atmosphere ; but 

 it also contributes to his security, as the times when he 

 feeds are those at which the fish usually lie basking 

 and inert. 



The female deposits her eggs in the water, and as 



