The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-12-29
CREATURES OF TWO WORLDS.
Which Spend Part of Their Lives In
Water, Part In the Air,

There is water spider that lives partly
on the surface and partly below il. IL has
pretty home, like silver globe as light
a. air, which sometimes rises 10 the top
and sometimes is moored down under the
water by silken threads.
The dweller in this fairy palace is also
Its architect, having spun its shining
walls from itself, for the spider carries in
side wonderful store of silk with threads
80 fine that 1t is said to take thousands of
them to make the thickness of hair. Its
feet are like delicate combs. which olsen
tanglc the threads and remove any minute
specks and our diver, who goes from the
air above into the shining water below,
travels by his own private railway To and
fro, and after he has arrived no doubt he,
like other spiders gathers up the thread
into a silkeD ball and throws it aside. Ii
would never do TO leave the road open for
any insect trainps that might be coming
that way.
The dragon fly lives In the water dur
ing one stage of its life and in the air
during another. The eggs are laid on the
leaves Of water plants. When the larva of
a dragon fly appears, it is very queer
creature indeed. In the first place, it
wears n mask, which concoals its nand-
w
that 1t would like to capture fer-ite din
ner 1t suddenly unfolds this mask and
throws it forward. 1t has two sharp claws
that instantly seize the prey.
IL also draws in and sends forth water
moving in this way, and taking in the air
In the water for breathing purposes. For
nearly year IL lives in the water world;
then on some flno May or June day il
,climbs up the stem Of some tall water
plant that rises above the surface, and i'm
about two hours throws off the old ugly
body and darts away--an inhabitant Of
the air world for the rest of its life--on
four gossamcr wings, glittoring with
many beautiful colors like those of shin
ing silver and bronze.
IL flies as swiftly as a swallow, and has
q long, slender body and large eyes. cut
with many sides like diamond, and on
sunsbiny day You may SEQ many Of them
catching their prey on the wing. II you
should put it back into the water world of
its childhood, IL would die
The cphcmcridG, or flies that live only
in the air world for day, spend ms many
as two or three years i'm the water. having
something like gills To breath with They
have a chrysals as well as larva state,
though they are actiye in each. IL il called
their chrysalis state while their wings are
forming, though these are mover unioldCd
until they leave their frat home forever
IL is marvellous tn see with what swift
ness they make their change When the
time comes, they throw off the old skin
more quickly than man can take oir his
ovorcOat by good deal unfold their new
wings, and with their feet resting un their
caston body, dart away into the b'uutiiul
ncw world Toy love tho sunshine or
any shining light and dance and circle
morrily In crowds about H.
think if an eli ur u feiry could lc taken
out of his story book world hc would hnd
transformations just ~ niarveloul ard
palaces Just ns beautiful in the rcul world
rt nature. Philadelphia Times.