Larvae and their Work 



look after themselves than when first hatched. Then 

 they evince a desire to go out and see the world, so they 

 scatter upon the branches of their food plant and devour 

 its leaves greedily. At the least sign of danger, in the 

 shape of birds or rain, they scuttle back to the shelter of 

 their tent. We have mentioned that the fabric of the tent 

 is tough, and so it is, but not so tough that a bird could 

 not break it down. Why then do not the larvae, which 

 may easily be seen within their abode, suffer from the 

 depredations of birds? For the same reason that most 

 birds will not attack seeds or young plants which are 

 protected by strands of thread, though it must be admitted 

 that after a while thread has no terrors for the common 

 sparrow. 



On another page we mentioned a fly bearing such a close 

 resemblance to the honey-bee that throughout the ages 

 bee and fly have been confused. Well, the " drone-fly," as 

 it is called, has a further interest for us. Its larva is one of 

 the most interesting and peculiar in the insect world. 

 The " drone-fly" delights in sunshine and honey and 

 pollen ; as it flits from flower to flower on the hottest of 

 days one would never associate it with reeking, stagnant 

 water. Yet it is on the surface of such water that it lays 

 its eggs. 



The larva is a most eccentric individual ; he spends his 

 time crawling along the slimy bottom of his filthy pond, 

 yet he possesses no apparatus for breathing below water, 

 as do all the true aquatic insects. Instead, he possesses a 

 wonderful telescopic tail through which he breathes. The 

 dirty-white, soft-bodied larva is about two-thirds of an 

 inch in length, but his tail may be as long as five inches. 

 Its tip always reaches exactly to the surface of the water. 

 When the maggot crawls into the deeper parts of his pond 

 his tail lengthens ; when shallower water is sought his 

 tail decreases in length. This very peculiar structure has 

 earned the insect the name of rat-tailed maggot. 



Another interesting aquatic insect is the buffalo gnat. 



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