POND INSECTS 



77 



Fi^. 51. Dragou-fl3'; broad-winged kind. 



It will be inter- 

 esting to have the 

 class observe the 

 behavior of the 

 adult dragon-flies. 

 They may be found 

 flying swiftly about 

 over the surface or 

 along the banks of 

 ponds, and along 

 the shores of quiet 

 streams. The dra- 

 gon-flies are among insects like the hawES among birds. They 

 capture in the air other smaller insects and eat them. 



"While one is standing by the pond, let him follow 

 awhile the actions of a dragon-fly that is making short 

 dashes in diflerent directions 

 close to the bank. Let him fix 

 his eye on a little fly hovering 

 in the air, and note that after 

 the dragon-fly has made a dart 

 toward it, it is gone. Let him 

 repeat the observation as the 

 dragon-fly goes darting hither 

 and thither. It will be hard to 

 see the flies captured, so quickly 

 it is done, but one can see that 



the place that once knew them '°™^'™^^ '^^"^'^ da'msei-fiy. 

 knows them no more." The flying dragon-flies are of different 

 kinds, but like the young dragon-flies can all be roughly classed 

 in two groups; the large dragon-flies (flg. 51) with heavy bodies, 

 and with rather broad wings, the hind wings being broader 

 than the fore wings, and smaller dragon-flies (fig. 52) (or 



Fig. 52. Dragon-fly; narrow-winged kind, 



