. The popular natural history . Zoology. DEMOISELLE.—(CaUpUryx splenditis.) stages of existence, and when the insect is about to make its final change, the undeveloped wings become visible on the baclc. When its time has come, the pupa leaves the water and crawls up the stem of some aquatic plant until it has reached a suitable elevation ; it clings firmly with its claws, and remains apparently quiet. On approaching it, how- ever, a violent internal agitation is perceptible, and presently the skin of the back splits along the middle, and the Dragon-fly protrudes its head and part of the thorax
. The popular natural history . Zoology. DEMOISELLE.—(CaUpUryx splenditis.) stages of existence, and when the insect is about to make its final change, the undeveloped wings become visible on the baclc. When its time has come, the pupa leaves the water and crawls up the stem of some aquatic plant until it has reached a suitable elevation ; it clings firmly with its claws, and remains apparently quiet. On approaching it, how- ever, a violent internal agitation is perceptible, and presently the skin of the back splits along the middle, and the Dragon-fly protrudes its head and part of the thorax. By degrees it withdraws itself from the empty skin, and sits for a few hours drying itself, and shak- ing out the innumerable folds into which the wide gauzy wings have been gathered. After a series of deep respirations of the unwonted air, and much waving of tlie wings, the glittering membranes gain strength and elasticity, and the enfranchised insect launches forth into the air in search of prey and a mate. There are very many species of Dragon-flies, all very similar in their habits, being fiercely predaceous, strong of wing, and gifted with glittering colours. Unfortunately, the rich azure, deep green, soft carnation, or fiery scarlet of these insects fade with their life, and in a fev hours after death the most brilliant Uragon-fly will have farled to a blackish brown. .The only mode of preserving the colours is to remove all the interior of the body and to introduce paint of the proper colours. This, however, is but an empirical and unsatisfactory sort of proceeding, and, nc matter how skilfully it may be achieved, will never be worth the time bestowed upon it. In many species the sexes are of different colours, as, for example, in the beautiful Demoiselle Dragon-flies, where the male is deep purple, with dark spots on the wings, and the female rich green, with the wings uncoloured. The far-famed Ant-Lion is one of the insects that are more celebrated in their prelimi
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1884
