[Illustration]
The winged dragon flies mate, and the female then drops her eggs in the
water or lays them on twigs in the water, where they hatch out into
larvæ.
The dragon flies have to be very careful when they go close to the water
to lay their eggs.
You all know why.
Yes, it is because the frogs are on the watch to catch them.
[Illustration]
The mother dragon fly knows the larvæ have to live in the water, and so
she takes pains to put the eggs there; sometimes she even crawls down
under the water on stems of plants to lay her eggs. Isn't she a wise
little mother?
There are a good many species of dragon flies.
Some are large and some are small.
Some are bright and some are dull.
There are black ones and bright blue ones, or green ones with blue eyes.
Some are marked with red and yellow.
They are a very gay family.
The dragon fly family is also a very old one.
Indeed, it is one of the oldest families on earth.
Long before there were bees or butterflies or dogs or horses or human
beings, there were dragon flies.
Don't you suppose that may be why the dragon fly is such a
strange-looking insect?
It does not look like other insects; it is very old-fashioned, like the
pine trees.
Pine trees, too, belong to a very old plant family that lived long ago,
before there were oaks or maples, or other trees that shed their leaves.
Now we must go home.
Good-by, green frog, you may come back to your log now.
Good-by, pretty dragon fly people, we shall never forget you.
Good-by, pleasant pond and moss-grown log, we hope to see you often
again.
[Illustration]