IX DRAGON-FLIES 343 



flexibility. Then they come to rest again, and are 

 kept perfectly still. When I first saw an emerging 

 fly thus motionless, I thought it dead or dying, ex- 

 hausted perhaps by its efforts. It remained more 

 than a quarter of an hour in this position, and I have 

 seen others motionless for nearly half an hour. I 

 was about to cease observing in despair, when I dis- 

 covered that the fly had been merely waiting till its 

 limbs had gained the necessary firmness, and till its 

 strength was restored. The next operation required 

 much exertion. The body, which was previously 

 bent backwards, was, by a sudden spring, arched in 

 the opposite direction. The head was brought back 

 to the top of the sheath, the legs clasped the sides 

 of the cleft, and attached themselves firmly. It is 

 plainly essential that the hooks should become com- 

 pletely rigid before this manoeuvre could be executed. 

 After this the Dragon-fly had to extricate the hinder 

 part of her body. She bent the abdomen double, 

 withdrew it completely, and then extended it in a 

 straight line. 



" Though the Dragon-fly was now free, it had a 

 very different appearance from those which range the 

 fields. It seemed deformed. The abdomen, though 

 longer than the sheath from which it had issued, had 

 not yet acquired its full length. The wings seemed 

 little larger than when they were enclosed in their 

 sheaths. They were turned edgewise, laid side by 

 side, and folded up like a fan, or like a leaf in the 

 bud. Not only were they folded along their length, 

 but also transversely. The wings expanded so rapidly 

 that it was difficult to get a faithful drawing made of 



