Music of the Wild 



big eyes, a slender, long body, dainty legs, and 



four wings set in pairs on each side, with a strong 



When costa Or rib along the front edge, the remainder 



Dragon- ^]^g transparent isinalass of the locust. Thev have 



flies Sing . , , . , . T ,' 1 



a pair ol sharp grinders in the mouth, and feed on 

 small insects among the rushes. As every living 

 creature has equal rights to life ^vith all others, 

 the tragedy is quite as great Avhen a dragon fly 

 pounces u])on a water spider and tears off its legs 

 and eats the l;)0(ly as Avhen a haA\k s\\'eeps down 

 upon a ])artridge and carries it a^vay. 



Dragon flies are the typical insects of the 

 marsh, and of beauty surpassing all others. Not 

 only are their bodies brightly colored, but their 

 wings glitter as diamonds in the light. They have 

 curving, jointed antenna, and grow to a wing- 

 s^jread of four inches in some larger species, so 

 that they attack prey tlie size of cabbage butter- 

 flies. They deposit their eggs in Avater, and their 

 young are atjuatic until time to take wing; when 

 they crawl on the rushes, burst their covering, 

 and emerge damp and crumpled, like night moths. 

 Soon, however, their wings expand and harden, 

 and they begin to flash their glanciTig colors over 

 the marshes and sing their song on the thwarts of 

 yoiu' boat; yes, even on the brim of your hat. They 

 stray far inland, and often when on the road to 

 the marsh you can see them hiuiting through beds 

 of rank bergamot and cone flower, ruthlessly de- 



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