New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-17
The GREAT WATER BEETLE.


A good many beetles live in tie water. and
Should like to tell you something about which
Is very common In almost every wcedy pond. II is
called the Great Water Eeetle. and If ever you
should catch it YOU may know it once for it has
q broad yellow band ali round the middle part Of
its body ana another down the edge OF
each wing case, while in general cco~ i is brown
above and dun yellow beneath. Il is about an
inch AID quarter in length.
This hectic IS interesting for several reasons. In
the first place. II Ia q vo-s good swimmer. It's body
IS really kind OF boat, ana it Itself through
the water b. means OF its hind leSs which are
made Just IKE they very lone, very
broad, very Aat, ana good deal curved. while all
along their inner edges Il OF stir bristles.
placed closely side by side that water cannot
pass between them. II you watch q great water
beetle swimming you viii notice that he uses these
legs just rover uses his oars; and they are
fastened to his body in such way that, as he
brings them forward after making stroke. they
turn siGcwisc that their sharp edges may cut
sistance to il as ossile water Lcetle Feathers
his legs, in fact just as human rover 'feath-
OF course. these legs are not. OF very much use
dry land That does not nattor- If you want 70
play little trick upon the beetle however ,, tne
way to do II Is 70 lay him on ms PACK IN TIE uue
OF a saucer. He tries very hard to turn over: OUT
slippery plate ana tho only result Of his struggles
Is to set him spinning round and round faster ana
beetle at all. The only thing that you can see is
brown blur in the middle OF the saucer, and I
SHOULD think that the poor beetle must set uFe"u-
fully giddy.
Then. in the second place this beetle can dive
very well. ! don't merely mean that IL can swim
under water. l mean that it can stop under water
for very long time, although 1t breathes air Just
you and l do. Indeed, IL can easily remain
under water for an hour or even for an nour ana
half The fact Is that il is 9be to CARY af aoY Se
beetle sidewse you will notice that it's wing cases
are q good deal arched, and II you were 10 llIS
them up you would find that its body underneath
them was a good deal followed. The consequence
IS of course, that good deal OF space Is leIt pc
tween the two. Now, this space serves as q sort
OF air cstern. and Just before it dives the BEETLE
fills it with fresh air. So when Il is UNDER water
II can breathe quite easily until this supply OK air
Is all used up. -, - a. -
we'll Underneath its wing cases It has palF OF
broad and powerful wings and almost every anisntt
It leaves the pond and goes for gooI long s si
in the air. And when IL wants 70 return 70 the
water II does SO in a very odd way Instead Of
fiying down to the edge and then craving "a, t
haveTs AT a height above the surface ana suudenly
folds its wings, so that IL drops into the water
with splash. -, IA v,ist,l,a
Only sometimes it makes rather odd mistake;
Fixing over n greenhouse on a moonlight nlSIlt, II
sees the moonbeams gttering on ths gldSs roOl;
irons often with such force that for some little
time it is completely stunned by the fail'-LonaOn