samouelle's 



wing than the Libellulce, and they will often frustrate 

 the most wary and active movements of the entomolo- 

 gist when in pursuit of them. Leeuwenhoek reckons, 

 in each eye of the Libetlula, 12,544 lenses, or in hoth 

 25,088. The late Mr. Carpenter used to exhibit to 

 his friends a smallportion of them between glass, when 

 they were magnified to the size of a sweet pea, and on 

 each eye would be reflected the flame of the lamp, 

 and the slightest movement of the flame could be 

 observed on each eye : these will be found most in- 

 teresting objects for tbe microscope. 



The larvae have six feet, and move with great 

 activity in the water ; at the mouth they are fur- 

 nished with an articulated forceps ; they are very 

 voracious, and are tbe Crocodiles of aquatic insects; 

 The larva and pupa are not very different ; the latter 

 has tbe rudiments of wings ; in a fine warm day in 

 June, a person standing by a pond, may observe them 

 approach tbe bank for tbe purpose of changing their 

 element. Having crawled up upon a blade of grass, 

 or bit of dry wood, the skin of the pupa grows 

 parched, and splits at the upper part of the thorax. 

 The insect issues forth gradually, throws off its 

 slough, in a few minutes expands its wings, flutters, 

 and then flies off. 



