472. THE DRAGON FLV. 



make their appearance before the largefl: ; beciufe, frons 

 breeding in fhallow water, they fooaer feel the influence 

 of the fun on the approach of fpring. 



The manners of thefe infeiSts nauil no doubt be greatljr 

 altered bj a change, which not only confers upon thenj. 

 a new form^ but introduces them into a different element. 

 The complete infect, in its winged Hate, however, ftill 

 continues to purfue the fame food, and remains infctiiivo- 

 rous. The lepidopterous infects, the butterflies, and 

 phalaeucB aredeftined for the fupportof the larger libcllu- 

 la; ; they are a part of thofe numerous tribes that are 

 appointed to confine thofe prolific genera within due 

 bounds f. 



The libcllula grandis is the larged of this genus found 

 in Britain^ and is perhaps not inferior in bulk to any in- 

 fect which this country produces : The fore part of the 

 head is yellow ; the eyes brown, and fo very large, that 

 th^y meet upon the top of the head. The thorax is dun 

 coloured, with two oblique bands on each fide, of a le- 

 mon colour. The abdomen, wliich is very long, is like« 

 wife of a deep buff colour, often fpotted with white upon 

 the top and bottom of each fcgment ; the fmali appendi- 

 ces which terminate tlie abdomen, are in this fpccies very 

 long ; the wings have more or lefs of a yellow com-= 

 plexion, and are diltinguidied by a brown fpot on the ex- 

 terior edges J. 



The libellula forupata § is another large infe£l of this 

 genus, which expands four inches and an half. The nofe 

 is yellow, having a black line on the prominent part ; 

 the thorax is black, with feveral broad yellow ilripes, 



Y Harris Expofit, p. 51. \ Barbut, p. zodo 



S Syft. Nat. Ord. IV. Gen. L No. u. 



