Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1892-07-01
HISTORY OF AN INSECT.
THE STORY OF ONE OF Ma
TURE'S GREAT PROVIDERS.
Including Wonderful TRANSFORMATION
Scene-Fierce Aquatic Life of the
Dragon Fiy-Its After Ex-
istence.

istence.
Il know nothing more curious or in
tcresting in nature than the develop
ment OF the dragon hy" the pro-
fossor said to a New York Sun man.
ANY one who in the early summer
Or late spring. will look down into
the depths of some quiet pool Or
teedy pond where he can see the bot
TOM VIII see many curious fofms Of
Insect life creeping things. dart
Ing things. swimming things One
amUng the formidable mem.
befs of that suba1ueous insect
community will particularly at
tract the eye of the observer.
IL is a broad shoildered creature.
an Inch in length, and With d big, lid
gulsr head. with big. brilliant bulg-
ing eye at each upper corne" OF the
head From the Two lower corners
project pair of strong avs incurv.
ing like an elephant tusks. TIE
face is covered by singular contriv-
ance which resembles mask and
which. however curious it may SEEM
is actually II part of the creature )
under lip. tho other part be ny fo.deI
up and put out Of the way against its
stomach. Six active legs three on II
side hang from the shoulders 1 he
body tapers id eight short sesments
TO a point aid TO the edge of each
segment Is attached d short sharp
spike. FROM the tail pro Get in a
| cluste' five neede- pointed spikes
1arinS about at the points the bases
| meeting around AID aperture no larger
persoa might naturally suppose that
with eyes for tho. upper corners of its
head tusk-ike jaws fof the lower
corners an under lip that can be
wora us Il mask an d stomacher at
the same time. any creature would be
fearfully and wonderfully made
Amazing rs are the other appurten-
ances Of this unique suba luean prowl-
er. they are but ordinary mechanism
compared with that under p of his.
1t is folded up against his stomach
something as tho carpenter might fold
. his rule On Its extremity is pair
OF nippcrs. sharp and strong. As the
frog or toad launches It's murilaginous
tongue and pastcs the ihconslderate
| fly last to it, sd does this we'll ARMED
forager project his jointed under lip
against his prey, fasten the nippcrs
deep upon it and pull it DIP and deliver
| it to the tusk- like jaws. all so quickly
that the prey is devoured almost be-
fore you realize what has buen going
on. The lip has frequently two
| inch reach.
las time passes some startling
changes come over this aggressive
water denizen. His head begins to
swell and his back to hump itself.
The more his head swells and the
higher his back is elevated, the harder
he WORKS for his appetite increases
! with his apparent Importance. BY
and by If you watch him closely. you
can't help noticing that he has evil
| IDENTIFY struck bad streak OF health.
| When he excrts himself IL is easy TO
see that he can scarcely catch his
breath. His eyes bulge more than
ever and he labors hard for the in.
sufficient oxygen he manages to pull
| in. You can almost imagine that YOU
hear him wheeze. He knows that his
only hope is change OF climate and at
| last he seeks it. He climbs the stalk
| OF some convenient rush or reed or
water plant. and leaves his native
element Tor the air. He ascends the
stalk few inches above the surface
| OF the pond. He seems to have taken
the third degree OF that tired feeling.
He clutches the reed with his six legs
MS with the grasp of death. He rolls
his head and sways his body an
struggles for breath.
Keep your eyes on him, and pres.
| emily you will see him hump himself
! rs If for one supreme and final effort
and crack. goes something. II ever
anyone was ripped up the back he is.
But he did it himself aud by it has
conquered relief His clothes had be.
come too small for him and he ia
emancipating himself from their CLASH.
There is glistening sheen at the
head and shoulders he now rears aloft
and the big eyes are as brilliant as
diamonds. IL was hard struggle.
but he breathes again. His gills bay.
given place TO lung power and he will
mover have to separate oxygen from
water again in order TO live. He rests
awhile. and then you see that there Is
still something of moment on his
mind. Pretty soon he tugs at himself
again. and you can scarcely believe
your eyes when from that chunky
segmentod thing that few minutes
before was prowling on the poad bot.
tom. only an inch in length is de.
veloped slender trunk more than
two inches long, cleaning in brilliant
hues. 1t resembles nothing so much
as a hump backed mosquito wrigpler
enlarged many times. But that
big bumped back has its duty 10 ner-
form The great club-like insect still
ciings to the reed stalk and its mind
IS still agitated by a vague unrest.
Presently from each side of the
rounded hump something SLOWLY !
moves outward. until at last II has
unfolded gradually into two pairs of