Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1894-03-01
FROM LARVA To FLY.
EVOLUTION OF AN INTERESTING AN
lmAL THAT IS COMMON.

Known a. ''the DEVILS DarnIng Needle
Looked Once Like a Horrid Centipede
II know nothing more curious or inter
esting in nature than the development o
the dragon fly" the professor said AM
one who, in the early summer or lat,
spring, will look down into the depths o.
( some quiet pool or reedy pond, where h,
can see the bottom, will see many curiou!
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 Il
startle one who sees them for the first time
Many Of these hideous looking things arr
the larvR 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.
"One 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 big, brilliant, bulging eye at
each upper corner Of the head. From the two
lower corners project a pair of strong jaws,
incurving like an elephants tusks. The
face is covered by singular contrivance
which resembles a mask, and which, how
ever curious ii 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
"A point, and to the edge of each segment is
attached short, sharp spike. From the
tail project in cluster five needle pointed
spikes llaring 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 gils, 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 a mo-
ment at rest in the pond this inspiration and
expiration may be seen in the gentle work.
ing of the cjector as it forces the water out.
Frlghten the creature, or let it see some
prey he covets, and it shoots the stream of
water from it's body with such force that
it impels the insect forward like flash,
sometimes foot or more. When this in
sect makes 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
dinary mechanism compared with that
under lip Of his. 1t is folded up against
his stomach something as the carpenter
might fold his rule. On its extremity is a
pair of nippers, sharp and strong.
AS time passes some startling changes
come over this aggressive water denizen.
His head begins to swell and his back IN
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 asthmn
or seen some one else have it will he ST truck
with the fact that if anything als 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 n
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 as with the grasp of
death. He rolls his head and sways his
body and struggles for breath.
keep your eyes Oh 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 il
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
IL was 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 ppat \ L.. l. is
again, and you can scarcely believe your
eyes when from that chunky, segmented
thing that few moments before was
prowling ON the pond bottom only an inch
length is developed slender trunk
more than two inches long, cleaning in
brilliant huCs. 1t resembles nothing so
much as 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 a vague unrest. Present.
y from each side Of the rounded hump
slowly moves outward, until at
last 1t has unfoldcd gradually into two
pairs OF long, slender, delicate, quiverinC
sosSamer wings For a moment longer
This strangely transformed creature rests
lpon the stalk, and then sails away in er.
ratio flight among the reeds and rushes
and oSsr the waters of the pon the
dreaded devils darning needle of your
whose sole mission you thought
I was to pounce upon You and sew up
rour ears, In reality the harmless and
lseiul dragon fly, most wonderfully and !
beautifully transformed, and going forth |
% prey upon and destroy its millions of |
loNious insect pests, which hut for the |
iragon hy's persistent and tireless pursuit |
would make The life OF man scarcely worth 1
he living. - New York sun.
Hate Has LimitS
He-Do Won still fool angry u,itb ma,