DRAGONS AND DAMSELS 63 



No description can possibly take the place of the 

 actual experience of seeing the transformation of 

 the dragon-fly. Those who have seen it once are 

 eager to see it again, but they usually have very 

 little to say about it. The marvel is too great for 

 mere words, and they would not rob others of the 

 delights of discovery by trying to give a minute 

 description. 



Dragon-flies have many common names, and 

 strangely enough these are all well founded on the 

 most reasonable sounding fictions. For example, 

 in one section of the country they are called 

 "snake-feeders," or "snake-doctors," because they 

 are supposed to take pleasure in ministering to 

 injured or diseased snakes. How plausible ! Yet 

 who has ever seen a dragon-fly take the slightest 

 notice of any snake, sick or well? As children, 

 we were taught to fear the dragon-fly with a 

 deadly fear. When we saw one darting about in 

 the sunlight we were wont to cover eyes or ears 

 or lips for fear of being "sewed." (For some 

 reason or other it always seemed to be my mouth 

 which was threatened, according to the warnings 

 of my teasing aunts and uncles.) The names 

 "darning needle" or "devil's darning needle" (the 

 last to be spoken under one's breath) , were also 

 common among us. Now that "I too, have be- 

 come an Olympian," how hard it is not to pass 

 along the superstitions to my little nieces and 

 nephews, thus "getting even" with the past gen- 

 eration. Had we lived long ago when the world 

 was being made we might well have feared the 



