Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-05-23

where IN the Summer Time and Is
Known as ''the DEVILS Darning Needle"
Looked Once Like a Horrid Centipede.
Il know nothing more curious or inter
esting in nature than the development of
the dragon fly" the professor said. ANY
one who, in the early summer or late
spring, will look down into the depths of
some quiet pool or reedy pond, where he
can see the bottom, will see many curious
forms of insect life-creeping things, dart
ing things, swimming things; big beetles,
armored like ships of war; fierce looking
wormlike creatures and others so closely
resembling the frightful centipede as to
startle one who sees them for the first time.
Many of these hideous looking things are
the larvB of what later on become familiar
and beautiful winged creatures, some that
delight the eye all summer long, and
others that sport in the sunbeams only a
few hours
Zone among the formidable members of
that subaqueous insect community will
particularly attract the eye of the observer.
1t is a broad shouldered creature an inch
or so in length, and with a big, angular
head, with a big, brilliant, bullying eye at
each upper corner of the head. From the two
lower corners project pair of strong Jaws,
incurving like an elephants tusks The
face is covered by a singular continuance
which resembles a mask, and which, how
ever curious it may seem, is actually a
part of the creatures under lip, the other
part being folded up and put out of the
way against its stomach. Six active legs,
three on a side, hang from the shoulders.
The body tapers in eight short segments to
point, and to the edge of each segment is
attached short, sharp spike. From the
tail project in a cluster five needle pointed
spikes fiaring apart at the points, the bases
meeting around an aperture no larger than
the point of pin.
ut has inside of itself pair of oxygen
extracting gills, not on the outside as the
commonplace fishes wear theirs. 1t has
also slowed away among its machinery a
suction pump and an ejecting valve. The
insect is constantly pumping fresh water
into itself through the spike defended
aperture in its tail, extracting the oxygen
by its interior gills, and then ejecting the
exhausted water through the same aper-
ture. In other words, the creature
breathes through his tail. If it be mo-
ment at rest in the pond this inspiration and
expiration may be seen in the gentle work
ing of the ejector as it forces the water out
Brighten the creature or let it see some
water from it's body with such force that
it impels the insect forward like a flash,
sometimes Il foot or more When this in
sect makes a rush of that kind rest sure
that whatever it has aimed at it gets its
lip on.
That's right; gets his Upon. Amazing
as are the other appurtenances of this
unique subaquean prowler they are but or
binary mechanism compared with that
under lip of his. 1t is folded up against
his stomach something as the carpenter
might fold his rule. On it's extremity is a
pair of nippers, sharp and strong
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 evidently struck bad
streak of health. Physical distress of some
kind is getting its clutch on him.
ANY one who has ever had the asthma
or seen some one else have it will be struck
with the fact that if anything ails this
erstwhile stalwart despoiler of mis- fellows
it is the asthma. When he exerts himself
it is easy to see that he can scarcely catch
his breath. His eyes bulge more than ever
and he labors hard for the insufficient oxy-
gen 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 ele-
ment for the air. He ascends the stalk a
few inches above the surface of the pond.
Ee seems to have taken the third degree
of that tired feeling. He clutches the reed
with his six legs as with the grasp of
death. He rolls his head and sways his
body and struggles for breath
keep your eyes on him and presently
you will see him hump himself as if for
one supreme and final effort, and crack
goes something. If ever any one was
ripped up the back he is. But he did it
himself and by it has conquered relief.
His clothes had become too small for him,
and he is emancipating himself from their
clasp. There is a glistening sheen at the
head and shoulders he now rears aloft, and
the big eyes are as brilliant as diamonds.
1t was a hard struggle, but he breathes
again. His gills have given place to lung
power, and he will never 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, segmented
thing that few moments before was
providing on the pond bottom only an inch
length is developed slender trunk
more than two inches long, cleaning in
brilliant hues. 1t resembles nothing SO
much as a bumped back mosquito wrig-
gler, enlarged many times.
But that big bumped back has its duty
to perform. The great clublike insect still
clings to the reed stalk, and its mind is
still agitated by vague unrest. Present
ly from each side of the rounded hump
something slowly moves outward, until at
last it has unfolded gradually into two
pairs of long, slender, delicate, quivering
gossamer wings. For moment longer
this strangely transformed creature rests
upon the stalk, and then sails away in err
ratio fight among the reeds and rushes