Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1873-11-13

tiny black boats, about as large as graz
Of wheat may be found floating upon u
top of any tub, or barrel Of water whlcL
has stood for some days. Nothing can
harm them, if some other creature does
not eat them up. The storm may dash
them against the shore, but they are 100
light to break: a torrent of water may be
poured upon them, and they come out OF
the bubbling foam as buoyant as air, and
as dry as duck; the water may freeze
solid, but their life is not destroyed.
In few days-three are usually
enough, if warm-the eggs hatch, and
each sends a wriggler down into the
water, through hole in the bottom.
The little fellow swims about, and pres
emily hangs himself by his tail to the sur
face. If disturbed, he goes down out of
way, but soon comes back, and rests, as
before, with the tip of his tail out Of
water. He does this, just as other SWIM
mers do, because he would keep his nose
above water. The odd thing about it is,
that his nose, or, at least, the tube which
he breathes through, is not on his face,
but at the tip of his tail. 1t ends in
few hairs, which spread in star-form,
and are oiled, to repel water. Thus the
tail is both nose to breathe through, and
buoy to keep itself at the top of the water.
He lives upon the impurities of the water,
and so serves very useful purpose
in the world.
BY and by, he changes into pupa, and
then he turns himself over, end for end.
He did breathe through his tail; now he
breathes through his ears, or pair of
tubes which look like ears, and are thrust
up, just little, out of the water His
tail is now like the tail of fish, and by
it he can move himself through the water
as he pleases. He remains thus about
fifteen days, and then takes new form,
exchanging his home in the water for a
life in the air.
When the warm sun shines on the
water, the change comes. The pupa rises
to the surface, and thrusts out its head
and shoulders. The cover bursts, and the
plumed head appears, followed by the
shoulders and the filmy wings. Now is
the time of danger. II an unlucky puff of
air sweep the water, over goes our sailor,
his wings are wet, and his voyage lost
just as he is ready to come into port. His
old garment lies upon the water. 1t is his
iife-boat. His body is the mast, and bis
drying wings are the sails. Now his
slender legs are dry, and with them he
lcciS IOT inc SuTldCe vi inc pool Ile Illus
himself free from his castoff coat, rests
an instant on the water and then leaps
into the air, a singing, singing mosquito.
But all the mosquitoes do not sting.
the males wear a pair of plumes upon
their heads, and spend their days in a
ceaseess dance in the sunbeams. Those
that bite are the females. One gently
drops on your neck or hand, with foot
step SO light that you feel it not; she
looks about for moment, hesitating as
to where she will begin to bore. Now
she has found the place, and her needle
tongue goes down into the skin. Now
you feet the prick, and now you may see
her cheek heavc as she pumps up the red
fluid. No Spectator, boring for oil, ever
felt happier over flowing well, than our
borer over the flowing fountain which she
has tapped. Now her abdomen expands,
more and more, until il seems she will
burst At last she has had enough-too
much, in fact, for her greed will cost her
life. She draws up the rod, and heavily
flies away. Her light wings can scarcely
bear the increased burden. She will die
of surfeit.-Cectrs BoOk IF Insects.