LITTLE AIR POLICEMEN 241 
sharp; for their color is exactly that of the rub¬ 
bish which shelters them. They have six grass¬ 
hopper-like legs, and no wings, but really you do 
not need any further description; their faces 
name them. One caution: don’t put the nymphs 
in your aquarium when you get home. They are 
every whit as ferocious as the ugliest bulldog that 
ever graced a kennel. Everything from small 
fish to mosquito larvse disappears from before 
them, the size of prey, of cotirse, depending upon 
the size to which the nymph itself has attained.” 
Such a conclave as there was when Tommy 
returned the next day with his find! And small 
wonder: for never had the children beheld such 
ridiculous looking individuals! Their heads were 
just about all lower lip, as Ruthie exclaimed, and 
with reason, for this peculiar feature covered the 
face like a mask from the eyes downward. Fur¬ 
thermore, as though this were not enough, the 
queer trap, as they soon discovered it to be, was 
hinged at the “ chin,” and folded backward along 
the breast between the bases of the fore legs. 
When offered a fly, the lip shot forward with 
lightning-like speed, revealing a formidable ar¬ 
mament of teeth, hooks, and spines well adapted 
to holding any struggling creature, no matter 
how wildly it essayed to get free. 
“ There are other nymphs similar to these in 
the old pond,” .Uncle John explained when he 
