Compound Eye of Dragon-Fly (Section).
"Oh, that is the larva of the dragon-fly. The fly is about to come out of the case. Just watch it for a while."
Larva of Gnat.
Escape of Gnat from its Pupa-case.
The larva of the dragon-fly is one of the ugliest of creatures. It has a long light-brown body and six legs. It has a fierce wide mouth and projecting eyes. Attached to its head are two claws, which with a pincer-like movement, catch up anything eatable and pass it to the mouth. In its larva and pupa state it has just the same appearance, and when it is about to change into a perfect dragon-fly it climbs up out of the water and emerges out of its case, just like the butterfly, and sails away a perfect and gorgeous insect, leaving its case a transparent brown shell, still clinging to the reed or grass-stem on which it contracted its last change.
"Bother the gnats!" said Jimmy brushing some off his face. "There is nothing interesting about them."
"Oh yes, there is," said Dick. "They lay their eggs on the surface of the water, making a raft of them, and the larvæ escape through the bottom of each egg into the water; and I have read that it is a very pretty sight to watch the perfect insect coming out."