The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-04-25
THE DRAGON FEY.
TIE Story OF its UnfoidiAe-An Hatersstinx
Tran sforunt10u geene.


dragon fly" the Professor said. ANY one
who. In tho early summer or latc spring. will
| look down into tho depths OF some quiet pool
| or reedy pond. whero he can see tho bottom
| VIII SEQ many curious forms OF insect life
creeping things. darting things. swimming
| things: big beetles. armored like ships of war :
| nerco-looking wormlike creatures. and others
| so closely resembling tho frightful ccntipede
as to starto one who secs them for tho first
time Many OF these hideous- looking things
| nre tho larvD OF what lator on become
familiar and beautiful winged creatures. some
| that delight tho ego all summer long. and
othcrs that sport in tho sunbcams only few
| hours Ono among tho formidable mcmbers
| OF that subaQueous insect community will
particularly attract tho owe OF tho observer
| 1t Is q broad shouldorod creature. an inch or
so in length. and with big angular bend,
with big. brilliant. bullying eye ut ench upper
corner Of tho head. From tho two lower cor
hers project pair OF strong Jaws. incurving
like IN elephants tusks. Tho face is covered
| by singular contrivanco which resembles n
mask. and which. however curious it may
seem. Is actually q rnrt OF the creatures UNI
dcrlip. tho other part being folded up
md put ont OF tho way against its stomach.
SIX active legs three On q side. hang from tho
shoulders. The body tnpcrs in eight short
soEmchts TO u point, and TO tho cdEo OF each
| segment Is attached II short. shtrp spike.
| from tho tail project in u cluster five nccd,r-
| pointed spikes ilnrin. apart at tho points, tho
hnsos meeting around an aperture no larger
| than tho point OF pin. The casual
person might naturally suppose that
with eyes for tho upper corners Of
| its hoal. tusl; like jaws for tho lower cornors
mn under lip That can !" worn as u mask and
| stomnchor ut tho soaI, time. any creature
would DO ienrfully i.pi wonderfully mails.
But this one is II much ADLER creature physi-
cally than all that. 1t has inside Of itself u
pair OF oNygen-cNtracting etlls. not on tho
outside MS tho commonplace fishes wcnr
theirs. 1t has also stowol away among its
machinery a suction pump and nn ejecting
valve. The insect is constantly pumping fresh
water into itself through tho spikn-dcfended
aperture In its tail extracting the oxygen
by its interior Eills. and then eJccting the on
hhusted water through the same aperture. In
other words. the creature brenthes through
his tail If 1t bo II moment at rcst in tho
pond this inspiration and respiration may | o
seen in tho gentle working OF the eicctor as it
forces the water out. Brighten tho creature.
or let it SEQ some prey he covots. and it shoots
force that it impels tho insect forward like u
flash; some times = foot or more. Whom this
whatever 1t has aimed ut it gets its lin ON.
o,o I ,h s, rEnt; cots MS lip on. Amazing as
sbnuuea 9re pr"wr h"v nrc o. bn 's ornary
mechanism compared with that under liz OF
his: 1t i. folded unagapst his stomach some
strong. As tho frog or toad LAUNCHES its mn
crate fly last to it. so does this well Harmed
fora:er prolccthis jointed under Ii against his
Fsg nd'f GH to the "sS M ana ali
quickly that the prey is dcvourcd almost
before e., y1 ~, , realze what has been going
The usual prey Of this extraordinary creature
is the Juicy lnrvm OF beetles and flies that
have seen him sczo with equal fcrocity and
success Eood-sized minnows that ventureI
fnfG ii the nE H onis
cclia,mp OF weeds; where, tho foragcr was in
steam and pulled for the surface. Tho pred.
na1ly "a and rnpacGious owner Of tho lip
and when the frog raised him an inch or " two
himself back to the bottom. The frog crawled
out On H bog and sat down there to ponder
TINT he did not sue or hear wator snake St that
glided M behind him and carried him away.
As time passes soms startling changes
self; me more his head swcIls and tho higher
Importance. By, and by. i YOU watch him
CLOSELY. you can neIT nOllrlnR tnaC no nus
sical dist rrss Of som, Kind is get
ting its, clutch on him. Any one who has
have it. vii! be struck with III" fac, that i any:
thing pls his srstwhils stnlwaart defroiler Of
catch lid, breath. His eyes bulge more than
oxygen he @ manages " to pun " in You can
almost imagine that you hear him wheeze.
al rI IA n nd MT las ha lie IF a eli ,bo
the stalk Of some convenient rush or reed or
Watfr liant nnd Leave; 81, his nntiys element
above the suriac. Of the pond. He seems to
have taken the third degree 4 that tired feel
with the grasp of death. He rolls his head and
swnys his body. and struggles for breath.
,;n keen Your ewes n on him, and presently You
nreme and final effort and crack! goes some
thing. If ever nIy one was eyer ripped Up the
has conquered relief. Ills clothes had become
too small for him; and he he is ,cmnncipatng
sheen ut til" head and shoulders he now rcnrs
aloit: and tho b. eyes are as brilliant as din
mSna aHan was ra h s[ si;%n lat
lung power and he will never hay" I" separate
oxygen from water again IN ordor t. live. He
is still something Of moment on his mind.
Pretty soon he tugs Mt hms"! again; and You
chunky. segmcntcd thing TINT II. fcw minutes
before was proving on the pond bottom only
M men IN I'nHlH. Is u slender trunk !
more than two inches long. cleaning in bril-
liant hncss. 1t resembles nothing, so much as
many times. l,nt that big numprd back has
its .duty 70 perform. Tho great; club,!ik in.
its mind ia still agitatnd by IL vague
unrest. Presently from each side OF tho
rounded hump something slowly moves out
ward until mt lust it has untoldcd gradually
into two pairs OF long. slender. delicntn. Guiv-
'rinG. Eossamcr wings Fora moment longer
his strangely transformed creatur" rests upon
IN n lis n AM N ti.. ni.,ht |
imong the reeds and PUSHES and over the
waters of tho pond-tho dreaded devils darn
ne needle OF your childhood whose sole mis-
sion you thought it was to l!ounre upon You
md sew,np your ears; in reality he harmless
md useful dragon fly, most wonderfully and
beautifully transformed. and going forth to
prey upon and destroy Its mil ions OF noXious
insect pests. which but for tho dragon hy's
persistent and tirrless pursuit would make
he life OF nun scarcely worth the living"
To Reduce Letter Posiave.
WASHINGTON. April 24.-An effort Is being
~ ia ky noraana intarosfaI in ha pou,,.,, |