122 THE BROOK BOOK 



a curve. "Here's your merry-go-round!" ex- 

 claimed the Professor. We all looked and lis- 

 tened, half expecting to hear the rasping voice of 

 the driver or the dolorous note of the hand-organ. 

 Until the rower pointed w^ith his oar, we saw 

 nothing. 



"Look out for whirligig beetles," he called to 

 the occupants of the other boats. 



"Where, where?" they cried, and the Frivolous 

 One began to get excited, much to the distress of 

 the youth who was responsible for the boat she 

 was in. 



We drew our boats together and watched the 

 antics of the beetles. They whirled in and out, 

 going through the most complicated series of fig- 

 ures. They spun and curved and whirled again, 

 their steely - blue backs fairly piercing the sight. 

 What a May-pole dance they were having, when 

 suddenly, plick! and it was over. There wasn't a 

 beetle in sight. But there was something in the 

 air which made the oarsmen pull with a will to 

 get out of their neighborhood. The Professor had 

 purposely disturbed them by tossing a light stick 

 into their midst. In departing suddenly for deep 

 water they left this astonishing odor behind them. 

 We passed many groups of whirligigs that afternoon 

 and captured some for our aquaria. The whirligig 

 beetle is pictured on page 138. 



We went on dipping among the water plants 

 and in the muddy bottom. Delighted shrieks now 

 and then announced the addition of a giant water- 

 bug, a water-scorpion, a dragon-fly nymph of large 



