WATER-INSECTS. 15 



Then with what delight would I haste to the lake-side, 

 where the margin was fringed with a broad belt of the 

 yellow water-lily, whose oval leaves floating on the sur- 

 face almost concealed the water, while here and there the 

 golden globe itself protruded. Having pulled out my 

 insect-net from a rocky crevice in which I was accustomed 

 to hide it, I would then stretch myself on the mossy bank 

 and peer in between the lily leaves, under whose shadow 

 I could with ease discover the busy inhabitants of the 

 pool, and watch their various movements in the crystal- 

 line water. 



The merry little boatflies are frisking about, backs 

 downwards, using their oar-like hind feet as paddles ; the 

 triple- tailed larvae of dayflies creep in and out of holes in 

 the bank, the finny appendages at their sides maintaining 

 a constant waving motion ; now and then a little water- 

 beetle peeps out cautiously from the cresses, and scuttles 

 across to a neighbouring weed; the unwieldy caddis- 

 worms are lazily dragging about their curiously-built 

 houses over the sogged leaves at the bottom, watching 

 for some unlucky gnat-grub to swim within reach of their 

 jaws ; but, lo ! one of them has just fallen a victim to the 

 formidable calliper-compasses wherewith that beetle-larva 

 seizes his prey, and is yielding his own life-blood to the 

 ferocious slayer. There, too, is the awkward sprawling 

 spider-like grub of the dragonfly ; he crawls to and fro 

 on the mud, now and then shooting along by means of 

 his curious valvular pump ; he approaches an unsuspect- 

 ing blood-worm, and, oh ! I remember to this day the 



