aquatic Hitt 



105 



Beware the Dragonfly 



HARRY S. GORDON 



The dragonflies form possibly the most 

 conspicuous feature of the insect fauna 

 in the neighborhod of a pond — barring 

 personal familiarity of mosquitoes. But 

 the mature form is not nearly such a mat- 

 ter for serious consideration on the part 

 of the aquarist as the result thereof ; pop- 

 ular fables to the contrary notwithstand- 

 ing. 



The females of the species deposit the 

 eggs on water plants, just below the wa- 



The Larva of a Dragonfly 



ter's surface. From these hatch the 

 larva — the bane of the fish culturist. 

 These infantile insects are provided with 

 a peculiar elbow-jointed jaw, which at 

 rest is retracted and hidden ; but if prey 

 comes within reach it is quickly thrust 

 out, the jaws at the end gripping the vic- 

 tim and drawing it to the larva's mouth. 

 Little imagination is required to picture 

 the havoc it will wreak when it happens 

 to find a home in the aquarist's rearing 

 tank. Its appetite seems insatiable, and 

 killing a pleasure. In a garden pond, with 

 plants affording it protection, it is fully 

 capable of getting away with hundreds of 

 fry before it reaches maturity or is dis- 

 covered and destroyed. This illustrates 

 why it is possible to rear a greater pro- 

 portion of fish in the small portable wood 

 tank, free from plants ; the bottom is 

 clear and may be examined frequently. 



After casting its skin several times the 

 larva becomes full-grown, the wing-cases 

 become conspicuous, and the body shorter 

 and thicker. Though now in the pupal 

 stage the larva continues active. Event- 



ually it ascends some convenient reed or 

 stick, and remains at rest above the water, 

 and in due time the perfect dragonfly 

 emerges through a split along the thorax 

 of the pupal skin. 



West Philadelphia 

 Society 



The West Philadelphia Goldfish Fan- 

 ciers' Association met on Thursday, April 

 3d, at Hamilton Hall, 5236 Market street. 

 The competition was for broad-tail Japs 

 bred last year, the best fish to receive a 

 silver cup presented by Dr. Clark, of the 

 Board of Governors. Mr. Gustav Arm- 

 bruster achieved a unique distinction by 

 winning all prizes, being awarded the cup, 

 blue, red and yellow ribbons. — Earlk W. 

 Roak, Secretary. 



To the series of handbooks published 

 by the American Museum of Natural 

 History, New York City, has been added 

 the Fishes of the Vicinity of New York 

 City, by John Treadwell Nichols, Assist- 

 ant Curator of Recent Fishes in the Mu- 

 seum. The volume contains 122 pages, 

 with 60 illustrations, and a frontispiece 

 in color. It may be obtained from the 

 Museum, in paper cover, for 50 cents ; 

 cloth bound, 75 cents. It is a popular 

 account of the fishes of the region indi- 

 cated by the title, though it is serviceable 

 over a much greater area. A detailed list 

 is given of the fishes known to occur 

 within fifty miles of the city, with a key 

 for identifying them. The introduction, 

 by Dr. William K. Gregory, treats of the 

 structure of fishes and their adaptations 

 for an aquatic life. The book is well 

 worth a place in every aquarian library. 



With the number for January, 1919, 

 The American Museum Journal becomes 

 "Natural History," a much more appro- 

 priate title. 



