The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-09-11
THE ".DARNING-N NEEDLE"

The darning-needle has the wise
family name LibellGljda, the plain En-
glish of which is dragon-fy. 1t doesn't
object to either of these names, or even
to the common name of darning-needle,
if you only don't associate it with any
thing stiff or blind. 1t is really no
clumsy affair. There is not stiff joint
in its body, and as for seeing things,
why, bless your eyes! it is perfect
marvel. You never saw anything
more wonderful 1t would take your
bright-eyed smart little Johnny six
hours-the longest, busiest hours he
ever spent in his life-just to count the
eyes of the dragon-fy. Twenty-four
thousand eyes! just think of a little
chap with twelve thousand eyes to your
one. He can look to the right and to
the left, down and up, backward and
forward, toward all points of the COM
pass at the same instant of time. Who
can tell all that he sees? Wouldn't you
like to borrow his eyes for about ten
minutes?
The dragon-fy is not only marvellous
on account of its vast number of eyes,
but it is curious in many ways. There
are about two hundred known species,
some of which are very beautiful. The
largest and most brilliant kinds are
found ON the Amazon River. "Some
of them,' says traveller, with green
or crimson bodies seven inches long,
and their elegant, lace-like wings tipped
with white or yellow"
The dragon-fy is the most ferocious
of all insects, and he has for this reason
been called the "devils darning-
needle" but it is better to drop the BIG
adjective and not call hard names. Yet
he is truly the greatest cannibal of the
insect world. He dimes with keenest
relish upon his many cousins, has a
special appetite for tender young mos
quitoes, and does not hesitate to devour
the prettiest, loveliest butterflies or any
of the family relatives that he is able to
catch.
All the little fellows are afraid of him,
but it is useless to try to escape him.
Even the swift mosquito, with its three
thousand vibrations of the wing a min
ute, cannot outhy this terrible, swift
dragon.
He takes his meals while on the wing
you can hardly guess how many victims
are served up for good "square
NEAL Quite little swarm is needed
for his dinner, and he is always ready
to make way with all the scattering
ones that he finds for lunch between
meals.
The dragon-fy knows all the ways of
the world. He can dart backward Just
as well as forward, and fly sideways
just as well as any other way, and so
there is no chance to get out of his
way. When he once goes for his victim,
it is all over with it.
Naturalists have been greatly inter-
ested in this insect, and have studied
its habits closely from its babyhood up.
Mrs. Dragon is a firm believer in the
use of plenty of water in bringing ND
her babies, SO all her little ones begin
life in an aquatic nursery. From the
leaf of water-plant, in which they are
at first cuddled up, they come out with
rough-looking, grub-like bodies, having
six sprawling legs. They find them
selves all alone in the world Their
mother has gone and left them, and |
they have no one to provide them with |
their " bread and dinner" They must
stir themselves and "grub it for liv-
ing" But they have such stupid,
lubber-heel look, that no one would
think they knew enough to take care of
themselves. On their head is some
thing that looks like hood, and this is
drawn over their faces as though thew
were ashamed.
But this hood is only their natural
head dress. These little water-nymphs
don't really wear their hoods for bon
nets to keep them from taking cold, but
they are really masks, and very curious
ones, too. This mask is made of
hinges, slides and hooks, and it is their
trap to get living When thew see
something which they would relish for
the. hinges spring open, the
slides shove out, and the hooks elmo
In, and in one instant of time their prev
is secured. And that is the wav these
ddu,mpish-looking little chaps Ego a.
hshing You surely would never call
them dull fellows if you should once see