REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AXD GAME COMMISSION. 509 



Dragon flies bear an evil reputation in the popular mind, and on account of that 

 they have earned such designations as darning needles, devil's needles, snake doc- 

 tors, etc., all indicating the popular estimate of these relatively harmless creatures. 



The adult dragon flies have a very characteristic appearance, and the more pow- 

 erful ones are seen in most localities near the water, and frequently at a considerable 

 distance from it. They are characterized by their four large, nearly equal mem- 

 branous, many-veined wings. The larger dragon flies, as is well known, are strong 

 fliers. The body is cylindrical, the thorax very well developed, and the head con- 

 spicuous by its enormous eyes. There are two groups of these interesting insects — 

 one comprising the larger forms, which may always be recognized when at rest by 

 their wings being extended horizontalh', and the other, a group of smaller dragon 

 flies, now frequently called damsel flies, which are much more slender, delicate 

 creatures than the above described. The latter are usually brilliantly colored, and 

 they may be recognized when at rest by their wings being folded together and 

 extending lengthwise over the body. 



The young of dragon flies are aquatic and may be found in a great variety of 

 situations, inhabiting as they do most of the less rapid fresh waters. The nymphs 

 possess rudimentary wings and may be recognized by reference to the illustrations 

 on plate 3. The head is enormous, and the most characteristic feature of all is the 

 large mask or lower lip, which is capable of being extended forward to seize the 

 unwary prey. A few of these nymphs are illustrated at figure i on plate 3, and 

 their adults are shown in the same plate hovering over the Avater. 



The nymphs of damsel flies may be distinguished from their more powerful 

 relatives in much the same way as the adults, by their more slender frail structure, 

 and also by the anal flaps protruding from the posterior extremity. 



The eggs are deposited in various ways by different species. Some females 

 course back and forth over the water, touching its surface here and there, and at 

 each contact depositing a number of eggs ; others alight on a floating piece of 

 wood or other support and place their eggs within the plant tissues ; and still 

 others, particularly some of the damsel flies, are known to crawl beneath the sur- 

 face of the water, in order to deposit their eggs in the stems of aquatic plants. 



Saranac Inn, as was proven by the investigations of Dr. Xeedham, is the home 

 of a great number of species of the larger dragon flies. His short stay of ten 

 weeks sufficed for the collecting of 36 species of these insects, and in his quanti- 

 tative studies along Little Clear Creek, he found that their nymphs were exceed- 

 ingly abundant. For example, in one small fishpond, made by impounding the 

 creek with its eastern side boarded up to a height of 15 or 20 inches above the 



