A BLACKBERRY BUSH IN AUTUMN. 197 



mentioned, the dragon-fly always contrived to make 

 itself look exactly like the object on which it was 

 settled. Its favourite post was a dried twig, from 

 which projected a few withered leaf-stalks and parts of 

 leaves. On this twig the insect took its station, sitting 

 longitudinally, so that its slender body coincided with 

 the outline of the twig, and its motionless wings looked 

 wonderfully like the withered leaves. Not even its legs 

 betrayed it, as they were not spread out, the tip of each 

 foot taking a separate hold, as is generally the case with 

 insects, but were all gathered closely together, like those 

 of a goat when the animal is standing upon a narrow 

 ledge. 



In the next place it invariably darted into the air 

 whenever there came a sharper gust of wind than usual. 

 At first I thought that the insect had simply been blown 

 from its hold, but then reflected that a dragon-fly is a 

 powerful and tight-clinging insect, and not likely to 

 allow itself to be blown from its foothold. Moreover, 

 its station was on the sheltered side of the bush, where 

 the effect of the gusty breeze was very trifling. After 

 watching it for a time I found out the motive of its 

 actions a motive which points rather to reason than to 

 instinct on the part of the dragon-fly. 



As a rule, the insects which were on the wing were 

 at such times unable to resist the sudden gusts of wind, 

 and were whirled away with out much power of directing 

 their course. The firm, large, and powerful wings of 

 the dragon-fly, however, were nearly independent of the 



