The Portland daily press., 1898-09-16
CURIOUS DRAGON FLY LARvA'
abont the Most Bideous Monster That
Lives in the Mud of Ditches-his S"r'-
GUS Breathing Apparatus

There could scarcely be greater con-
trast than that which exists between thu
,,orfect dragon fly, with it's brilliant colors
and active flight and the groVeling little
monster from which it is derived. living
its sordid life in the slime of malodorous
ditch. 1t would be difficult to find q
creature which for sheer, hidcousness
could match the early stage or larva of a
dragon fly.
Its color is dingy gray. bue which
resembles so much that of the muddy
bottom of the ditch that the boast is al
most invisible until it begins to move.
The body of the larva is divided into
three parts-head, thorax and abdomen.
The head carries the "feelers, a pair
of prominent eyes, and most formidable
system of jaws. On the thorax are fixed
the six long, sprawling legs. The abdo-
men is distinctly subdivided into rings
like those Of the hinder part of a lobster
body.
The larva of one family Of dragon flies
has three delicate plates attached to the
end OF its tail. These plates are the g1lls,
and are the organs by which the animal
breathes. The whole body is clad in q
sort Of horny she'll, which is veritable
suit of armor.
The head of one species is quite sugges'
tive Of that of a cat, and there Is some
thing truly feline in the manner liz which
it lies perdu beneath the shade of water
weed or half buried in the mud, which 1t
SO closely resembles, stealthily awaiting
the approach of its victim.
AZ the unsuspecting tadpole swim
lazily within striking distance, like light
ming out shoots pair of murderous pine
Is conveyed to the mouth, to be leisutely
devoured. This terrible paw. with it's
terminal pincers. is a very characteristic
feature Of the dragon fly laIva.
The end OF the weapon is carried, when
not in use, in front Of the face. and com.
pletely hides the jaws, which are used for
chewing. 1t is known as the mask. and
fixed under the animals chin.
Like every other living thing dragon
fly larva can only carry on it's life activi-
ties when 1t can obtain due supply of
oxygen.
have already mentioned that the larva
OF ono family Of dragon flies 1.-THE family
rejoioes In the impressive appellation OF
Agironida) carries at the end OF Its tail
three delicate leaf-llke plates, the traceal
gills.
The water of the pond always contains
air dissolved in it, and an interchange is
constantly taking place between the
yitiated gas contained In the delicate air
tubes of the dlmy gills and the iife-giving
dissolved air of the water.
1t Is only the ssaristocratic ssssagironidae,
no viewer, that possess these tracehai gills.
II one Of these commoner larvae be
touched, it will be seen to move away
from the annoyance with sudden dart
forward, although no propelling force can
be distinguished.
AS matter of fact the impulse comes
from the sudden repetition of water from
the end of the intestine. This terminal
portion of the digestive tube Is thrown
into number of folds, which increase its
surface enormously. AS the folds con-
tain in their walls multitude of fine air
tubes, gaseous interchange can as readily
take place here AS in the leaf-like external
gills of the aglronidae. -Chamber's Jour-
nal.