ON A UliAaON FLY. 125 



is changed to one of ijreat alertness. They raise their head and forepart 

 of their hody by phintin<,' their first pair of lef^s Hke a carriaf^c horse, and 

 the action of the neck becomes grand, subtle, and free, as that of a 

 snake or lizard, for a moment or two. They then advance like a cat 

 after a bird, luitil within half an inch of their prey, when out shoot the 

 jaw-calipers, and the object is seized. They will, however, if surprised 

 with enticing prey, such as a young minnow, swim after it in rapid jerks, 

 and make a dash at it as it moves ; but they appear to think twice in 

 view of the spines of the Stickleback, and conclude him to be sour. 



They are very careful, after a meal, to clean their face, removing all 

 particles of skin or harder stuff that has not been sucked in, and 

 which has got attached to their teeth and lips. This they do with 

 their jaw-forceps, and tliese they then sweep clean with their fore-legs 

 after the manner of a fly or a young rabbit cleaning his whiskers. 



By means of its gluttony the larva stores up an energy for use in wing 

 power in its aerial state more marvellous that Faure's cell of condensed 

 electrical force, but only to be more dragonian. I notice the clergy 

 explain this voracity by kindly calling it the balance of nature. 

 Angels, however, are not perhaps so pink as they are painted, and if 

 evil be that which is out of harmony with the laws of man's nature, 

 one is bound to affirm at least in the Dragon-flies' favour that their 

 ways do no known harm to him or his. 



They are fond of a stick about a half-inch square in the aquarium 

 to cling to, round which they will play bo-peep with you as you go 

 near, slipping from side to side out of sight as you show yourself, but 

 as if partly tamed with the regular feeding. They also prefer porous 

 tile to smooth stones to hide under, as they can cling more easily to 

 it. They refuse their food a day or two before each moult of skin, and 

 the time of fasting is increased to about a week or ten days, just before 

 they make the final change to the imago. During this period they 

 climb up the stick or auy stem to the surface, so as to expose their 

 mouth and eyes slightly, and it is, I think, during this stage that the 

 altered mode to breathing the common air is undergone. After this 

 amphibious interval, the first hot day is chosen by them for the change 

 to the higher life, the sight of which ought to be almost enough to 

 awaken faith in an agnostic. 



I do not know how many times altogether they moult from the egg 

 to the imago, but I have seen that they shed the skin four times during 

 the last six months before the imago comes out. Throughout the 

 whole time and process of the larval state it is very necessary to keep 

 the water well aerated by balanced vegetation or a syringe. 



We will, if you please, resume our loafing at the old centre, namely, 

 Edwards' Pools at Bilstou, and need not go far to see all we want, as 

 they can always be found here in summer in the winged state. 



Choose the early hours of a fine day in July or August for a stroll 

 round the borders of the pools. Near the edges or corners where the 

 reeds, rushes, and flags are growing, you may soon find out by the 

 numbers flying to and fro where these dragon-flies are colonised. 



