. The animal creation: a popular introduction to zoology. Zoology. COLEOPTERA. 119 respite, and were we to reflect for a moment, we should soon perceive how indispensable is their mur- derous zeal to the order and well-being of surround- ing nature. The active operations of these destroyers are not, however, restricted to the land. Many species are inhabitants of the water, and in that element have their assigned tasks to perform. Neither are their blood-tliirsty propensities only manifested during their mature or winged state; from their earliest birth they are tutored to the work of destruct
. The animal creation: a popular introduction to zoology. Zoology. COLEOPTERA. 119 respite, and were we to reflect for a moment, we should soon perceive how indispensable is their mur- derous zeal to the order and well-being of surround- ing nature. The active operations of these destroyers are not, however, restricted to the land. Many species are inhabitants of the water, and in that element have their assigned tasks to perform. Neither are their blood-tliirsty propensities only manifested during their mature or winged state; from their earliest birth they are tutored to the work of destruction, and their very infancy is devoted to carnage and slaughter. The Water Beetles (Dyttcus) * exhibit, in a very striking maimer, the facility with which, by a slight modi- fication in their form and arrangements, the limbs of an insect become convertible to the most opposite uses. The body of the Dyticus, oval in its shape, and slightly flat- tened above and below, is con- verted into a boat so smooth and polished in every part, that it glides through the water with scarcely the slightest re- sistance, while the two hinder pairs of legs are changed into oars of a most effective and elegant construction. Thus limbed, the Dyticus is fully equijiped for its piratical mode of life, and becomes an object of no little interest in the water over which it tvrannizes. c^, .. ^ - . - Fig. 79.—WATER-BEETLE. hometimes lurking beueatli the weeds, it may be seen creeping stealthily about in search of some victim to seize by surprise ; sometimes launching its skiff upon predatory excursions, the little corsair sweeps along by means of its oars with wonderful rapidity, coming every now and then to the surface of the water to breathe, and diving again into the dej)ths below, carrying with it a supply of air beneath its ^^'iug covers to serve for respiration during its immersion. * SvtikSs, dytico;=i, Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have
Size: 1392px × 1795px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorjo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectzoology
