THE DRAGON FLY. 



Of all the myriad of insects with which 

 nature has blessed and tormented us there 

 is none more graceful or swift of wing 

 and none that has more nicknames than 

 the Dragon Fly. 



He is known as "Snake Feeder," 

 "Snake Doctor," "Devil's Darning Nee- 

 dle,''^ "Horse Stinger" and "Flying Ad- 

 der." Legend says he 's apt to sew up 

 the eyes and ears of bad boys, that he is 

 the favorite doctor of the water snake 

 and stings horses. To me as a boy he 

 was the sure sign that a snake was not 

 far awav. and so thoroughlv did this 

 groundless superstition get hold of me 

 that yet I instinctively look for a snake 

 when I see a dragon fly. 



There are many species of this order 

 of insects, more than two thousand hav- 

 ing been described. The United States 

 has about three hundred kinds of these 

 and some two hundred and twenty-five 

 are peculiar to this country. It is 

 claimed that Ohio and Indiana have each 

 more than one hundred species. 



For the amateur collector there is noth- 

 ing excepting the butterfly that makes so 

 attractive a display. The dragon fly is 

 common everywhere and is everywhere 

 a favorite specimen. He is not always 

 easily caught and considerable patience 

 needs to be exercised many times before 

 he is captured. 



Among the many peculiar character- 

 istics of the dragon fly I find he has con- 

 siderable curiosity. I stood for half an 

 hour one bright sunny day on the end of 



a culvert over the stream that ran from 

 a little marsh filled with cattails. Here 

 and there flew two large dragon flies, 

 their gauzy wings glistening in the sun- 

 light. They darted past me — out of reach 

 of the net — then returned a little closer. 

 One would stand still before me with 

 those wonderful wings so swiftly vi- 

 brating that I could scarcely see 

 them. I moved the net a little 

 and away he darted, only to re- 

 turn a moment later and come a little 

 closer. This he did repeatedly, each time 

 coming closer and closer, glaring at me 

 and the net. I made two or three at- 

 tempts to catch him, but I had miscalcu- 

 lated the distance. Once the frame of 

 the net struck him and knocked him 

 nearly into the water. I had to wait a 

 minute or two on these occasions before 

 he came near me again. Finally his cu- 

 riosity got the better of him and he came 

 directly toward me by successive little 

 darts until he was within two feet of the 

 net — and he was mine. 



He is very voracious. It is stated that 

 he will even eat his own body when of- 

 fered to him.' Beutenmiiller held one of 

 the large ones captive and found he de- 

 voured forty house flies in two hours, 

 while a smaller one ate twenty-five in the 

 same time. In some localities he is cared 

 for and bred in order to rid the commu- 

 nity of mosquitoes, although he is not so 

 successful in this work as many think. 

 Taken all in all he is a most attractive 

 and interesting creature. 



Alvin M. Hendee. 



A SCARLET TANAGER. 



Athwart the shadows of the woods, 



Flashes a meteor's light. 

 With wings like scarlet poppy-leaves, 



A tanager gleams bright. 



— Illyri.v Turner. 



25 



