7 6 
Dragon-flies and Damsel-flies 
in the air, with the sunlight dancing on its trembling wings, it is indeed a 
beautiful sight. 
“ ‘ Dragon-flies ? Folks call ’em devil’s-darnin’-needles in our parts, 
and they say they will sew up your ears.’ Yes; and in some localities they 
M are called ‘snake-doctors,’ and are said 
to bring dead snakes to life; and other 
meaningless names are given them, such 
as ‘snake-feeders,’ ‘horse-stingers,’ ‘mule- 
killers,’ etc.; but in spite of all these 
silly names and the silly superstitions 
they represent, dragon-flies are entirely 
harmless to man —are indeed to be 
counted as friends, for they destroy vast 
numbers of mosquitoes and gnats and 
pestiferous little flies. To such creatures 
they must seem real dragons of the air. 
While one is standing by the pond let 
him follow awhile the actions of a dragon¬ 
fly that is making short dashes in different 
Fig. Iio— A dragon-fly (from life), 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 knows them no more.’ And 
the usefulness of the dragon-fly in taking 
off such water-haunting pests will be 
appreciated.” 
Thus entertainingly and truthfully writes 
Professor Needham of the strong-winged, 
brilliantly colored, graceful insects of our 
present chapter. If one could see through 
muddy water and would fix his gaze on 
the weed-choked slimy depths of the pond, Fig. hi. —The young (nymph) of 
he would see the dragon-flies m another dragon %• (From Jenkins and 
...... . .... Kellogg; twice natural size.) 
stage of their life, under very different 
conditions of existence, and in very different guise. Crawling awkwardly 
about over and through the decaying weeds and leaves and mud of the 
bottom or lying in ambush, half concealed by coverings of slime, 
would be seen certain strange big-headed, thick-bodied, dirty gray-green, 
