LESSON XLI.
THE FLYING FLOWERS.
You have just read about some of the Radiate Family. From their beauty they have been called Flowers of the Sea. We will now hear about some insects which might be called Flying Flowers.
I knew a little boy who, the first time that he noticed butterflies, cried out, “Oh, see all those flowers flying!” That was a pretty idea. It well described the butterflies, as you will see when you come to read about them.[20]
There is another family of insects which also deserves the name of Flying Flowers. Their shape, colors, and motions are very lovely. These insects are the Dragon-Flies.
I am sorry that such beautiful creatures have had harsh names given to them. They are called Dragon-Flies, Horse-Stingers, Darning-Needles, Spindles, and so on. These names have nothing true in them. These pretty insects never harm any one.
The French people call them Little Ladies. Now, that is a nicer name. It is given to them because they are graceful and pretty, and also neat and delicate, in their looks and motions.
A Flight of Dragon-flies.
A Flight of Dragon-flies.
I knew a man who called these insects Air-Jewels. That was because they are almost always on the wing, and their eyes and bodies flash and shine like precious gems.
I have known silly people to start and scream when one of these dragon-flies came darting by. That was foolish; they might as well scream at a rose or a violet. There is no need of running away from one of them. The great trouble is that they are so swift and shy, you cannot easily catch one if you wish to examine it.
The dragon-flies are cousins of thetermites, the may-flies, and the lace-wing flies. They have four large, fine, lace-like wings, divided into a great many spaces or meshes.
The two pairs of wings are nearly or quite equal in size. The head is large. The body is long and light. They are very active in their motions, and are very seldom at rest. They fly so swiftly that you can scarcely see their thin wings, but only the flash of their bright-colored bodies.
Dragon-flies like damp or wet places. You will find them above lakes and ponds. They fly over marshy places or by the edges of quiet streams.
Go out to some still, silver-like pond, where the tall trees stand in a ring about the water. The ferns, the tall yellow spikes of the St. John’s-wort, and the blue clubs of the arrow-plant make a wreath around the sandy margin. There you will see hundreds of gay dragon-flies darting up and down. They swing in the sunbeams, as if glad to be alive.
In their great beauty the dragon-flies are as pretty as the butterflies. Like them, they love the sunshine. They are the children of the summer time. The hotter the weather, the happier the dragon-flies seem to be.
Let us look for a little time at a dragon-fly. It belongs to the class of the ring-made creatures. Its body is made in rings, and its feet and legs arejointed. The body is very long and slim. Some kinds of dragon-flies have the body rather flat, but usually it is round, is slimmest in the middle, and thickens a little both at the tail and where it joins the breast.
The wings of the dragon-fly are horny and of iris or golden hues. Sometimes the body is a vivid blue or bright green. Sometimes it is banded or spotted with yellow or scarlet.
The wide wings look like delicate lace spread on a fine frame. A little child who found one of these wings, brought it to me, saying, “I dot a dood piece of lace!”
The head of the dragon-fly is large, and has on each side what you would call a great eye. But like that of the house-fly, this eye is made up of many eyes set so as to seem to be one. I hardly dare tell you how many there are—over twelve thousand! Through these wonderful eyes the light plays and flashes like fire. Between these big eyes three little simple eyes are set in a band across the head.
The dragon-fly has a queer mouth. The jaws are hidden under two thin, skin-like lips. These move up and down as it eats. It does not suck food, like the butterflies and house-flies, but eats after the manner of the beetle.
Thus, you see, the dragon-fly belongs to the great Division of the Eaters, not of the Drinkers. Instead of feeding on nectar, as we would think so lovely a thing should, it eats insects.
All its life long, from the egg, it is always greedy, because it is always hungry. It spends all its time hunting for food. Who could count how many small insects a dragon-fly, eats in his short lifetime?
FOOTNOTES:[20]See Seaside and Wayside, No. 3.
[20]See Seaside and Wayside, No. 3.
[20]See Seaside and Wayside, No. 3.