The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-07-03
A WAFER BEETLE.
II showed tho Pleasure ofa child In Blow
ing Bubblea.

ri
Lately ! kept for few days for in-
| spection that very beautiful insect, the
water beetle. says n writer In Science
The specimen was large aud splendid
ly colored. gold-banded. and display
Ing brilliant iris hues on its legs. /
placed It in II glass jar of water. On
the surface of the water some leaves
were laid On one side of the Jar, at
the bottom, was pasted square of
paper. and TO the shelter of this the
beetle often retired. 1t seemed TO
take great delight in darling. swim
ming. aud diving, rising from the
bottom of the jar to the top of the
water by long, vigorous strokes of its
hind legs. Then. joining its second
pair of legs before it. like swim
mer's hands. aud stretching the hind
pair ont nearly together. it would dive
to the bottom. II slept hanging head
downward under the leaves, with the
tip OF the body above the water to
secure air.
1t showed the pleasure of child In
blowing bubbles. Rising to the sur
face it would put the tip of its body
above the water. part the elytra and
take in air; then closing its case it
would dive to the bottom. stand on its
head, emit the air bubble by bubble
until it was exhausted and come up
for new supply. 1t seemed To need
the daily renewal of the air in the jar.
When 1t was hungry or the water WAS
not fresh enough. It became dull aud
sulky. and hid behind the paper.
After the beetle had tasted twenty
four hours, laid on top of the water a
wasp. n mosquito. blue-bottle ny. and
common iy. all dead. The beetle,
being at the bottom of the jar did not
seem to see or smell these Insects.
Rising presently he came MP against
the mosquito. seized the body in his
jaws and sucked it dry with one pull
He then found the blue bottle. carried
il down to the shelter of The paper,
trussed it neatly. cutting off the wings.
legs. aud head. and letting them float
to the surface. He then held the body
in his jaws and sucked it dry. After
this he rose to the surface found the
other hy and served it in the same
fashion. Next he found the wasp, a
large one. Carrying this below. as he
had the flies, he clipped off the wings
and legs. but took the preeaution 10
suck the head and the thorax before
turning them adrift. He also grasped
the body in his hands, pressed the
part that had been cut from the thorax
to his mouth. aud holding it exactly as
If drinking out of bottle he drained it
dry.
found that he could eat all the
time, except. when he was asleep
or playing. and his activity was in
proportion to the quantity of his food.
Cooked meat he would none of. Raw
beef he did not greatly like. but
raw veal he priced even above wasps
and blue-bottles. / cut an ounce of
raw veal into dice and dropped it in
the bottom of the Jar in a heap He
did not seem to see or smell it, but
after awhile happened to dive into it.
He appeared 10 be full of joy at the
discovery. One. fragment after an
other he took in his hands, held il
closely TO his jaws. and sucked it dry
by strong pulls. At each pull / could
mark the reeeding red juice of the
meat. When the veal was reduced to
a pale fiber he let it go and took a
fresh bit. He always retired to the
shelter of the paper to eat. with the
sole exception of the mouthfnl he made
of the mosquito. Like the king OF
Dahomey he would not eat in public.