INSECT LIFE IN POND AND STREAM - CONTENTS - CHAP. PACE I. LIFE I N POND A ND STREASI-THEH OME OF THE WATER INSECT - S STRANGE CREATUR O E F S THE POND-THE POND IN SPRING 7 IV. THE TYRAN O T F THE IOOL-HE BROWN WATER-BEE - TL HEI S CURIOUS LE GS - How HE BREATHES-THLEA RV O A F THE BROIVWN ATER-BEETLE-HFIESR OCIOUS WAYS . 27 VI. THED RAGO O N F THE POOL-DRAGON-FLIES - LARVA OF THE DRAGON-FLY-ITS CURIOUMS ASK-THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE DRAGOX-FL . Y - 1.2 vi ISSECT LIFE IS POSD AKD STREAJI CHAPTER I LIFE IN POND AND STREAM - IF you have read Water Babies and I hope you have, you will remember when the poor little sweeps boy, Tom, ran away from his cruel master he came at last to a bubbling brook. And there he slipped out of his old black skin, tumbled himself into the brook, and sank down, down in the clear, cool water, and turned into a Vater Baby only four inches long. Under the water Tom lived for many a day, learning how to behave himself and he had the most wonderful adventures, and met with all sorts of surprising creatures, as he wandered along in the streams and the river on his way down to the sea. Now the best part of this story is, that all those strange creatures do really live under the water and if you could follow Toms example and turn into a Water Baby four inches long, you would meet just exactly the same quaint water folk as he did, moving about in the ponds and streams to-day. For every winding river, every rippling stream, and every silent pool is a complete water-world, the home of many a strange or interesting creature. We know, of course, that all sorts of fishes live in fresh water, from the lordly salmon and silver trout to tiny minnows and sticklebacks water volesmake their home in the banks of the streams and rivers, and the shy coot and moorhen hide their nests amongst the rushes. But there are other water-folk besides the fishes, the birds, and the water voles. If we look down into the water we shall see all sorts of curious little things swimming, diving, and bobbing about, while down at the bottom of the pond many queer-looking creatures are moving, creeping over the stones and mud, and climbing about the water weeds. There goes a strange-looking object, just like a cigar fitted with tiny legs and a queershaped head. There, a little bundle of bits of leaves and odds and ends of stick and straw, suddenly puts forth a round head and six spidery legs and starts slowly marching dong. And there two sausage-shaped creatures, with large flat heads and hook-like jaws, are rolling over together and biting each other for all they are worth What are all these peculiar creatures Insects, you say Yes, these funny-looking things are water insects, -strange members of the insect world that make their home beneath the water. They are not a special kind of insect they belong to several different insect families, and most of them have relations on the land which would quickly drown if they fell into-the water. Some water insects live all their lives in ponds or streams others, strange to say, spend the first part of their lives, while they are grubs, or larvse, in the water, and the latte part, when they have become perfect insects, flying about in the air. From ugly grubs they are changed to beautiful winged creatures, reminding us of the enchanted frogs and toads of our fairy tales, which became transformed into princes and princesses…