"Well, tell us about all those insects we see now."
Water-Beetle.
"Look at those long-legged narrow-bodied flies which are sliding along over the surface. These are called water-measurers. That oval beetle which is swimming on its back, and using two legs like oars, is the water boatman. It fastens on to the head of small fish, and soon kills them. It lives in the water, but if put on land it can fly. Look at that brute crawling over the mud, with its lobster-like head. It has sharp claws and a hollow snout. It lies in wait for its victims, and when it seizes them it sucks the juice out of them with its beak. It looks only of a dull brown now, but when its wings are expanded its body is of a blood red colour, and its tail is forked. It sometimes comes out for a fly at night."
"And what is the fearfully ugly thing climbing up that reed-stem just out of the water?"
Pupa of Dragon-Fly.
