A WALK THROUGH AN ENGLISH LANE. 93 



like that of the falcon, and carrying them off with ease, 

 despite their wings and stings. It is rather curious 

 that the hornet will not eat the head or the abdomen of 

 the wasp, but shears them off with its strong jaws, bites 

 off the wings and legs, and then crunches up the re- 

 mainder just as we eat a radish. Sometimes the hornet 

 flies to the branch of a neighbouring tree with the poor 

 wasp in his jaws, and there slinging himself by one foot, 

 he employs the remaining limbs in holding and arrang- 

 ing his victim to his satisfaction. 



Here comes whirring along, rich in flashing green 

 and glittering wings, the great dragon-fly, acknow- 

 ledged tyrant of the air. He is arrowy-swift of wing, 

 and there are few insects that can escape him. He 

 cares little for birds, the general enemies of the insect 

 tribe, for even the swift or the swallow cannot catch him, 

 unless they come upon him unawares. See how he 

 darts here and there, sometimes backing, by suddenly 

 reversing the action of his wings with a sound like the 

 ruffling of a small silken flag, and ever and anon pounc- 

 ing upon some unfortunate insect as it flies along. Not 

 even the broad-winged butterfly, with its erratic flight, 

 can escape this dragon insect, although it gives him a 

 hard chase. I have seen the poor butterfly dodge about 

 like a startled snipe, or a coursed hare, in hope of 

 escaping its terrible enemy ; but all in vain. After two 

 or three turns the dragon-fly succeeded in closing with 

 its prey, and bore it unresisting through the air. As 

 he flew along, wing after wing of the butterfly dropped 



