The Insect Folk

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The Insect Folk, by Margaret Warner Morley

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Title: The Insect Folk
Author: Margaret Warner Morley
Release Date: July 8, 2006 [EBook #18790]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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The Insect Folk
BY
MARGARET WARNER MORLEY
AUTHOR OF "SEED-BABIES," "FLOWERS AND THEIR FRIENDS" "LITTLE WANDERERS," ETC.
ILLUSTRATED BY THE AUTHOR

BOSTON, U.S.A. GINN & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS 1903
COPYRIGHT, 1903, BY MARGARET WARNER MORLEY
All rights reserved

A WORD TO THE CHILDREN
DEAR CHILDREN,--The very best way to know the insects is to go and watch them. Watch them whenever you can, and each time you will find out something new. Books will help you, but you must watch, too. Look more than you read.
If you need to catch them, put them under a tumbler, and feed them and give them a drop of water every day to drink. Slip a card under the rim of the tumbler on one side so as to let in the air. If you do not know what to feed them, or if they will not eat, let them go after a day or two.
If you wish to kill an injurious insect, do it quickly and completely. Remember the insects are alive, and we should not make them suffer unnecessarily.
Of course you must try to make your captives feel at home. If they live in the sand, put sand in the tumbler and tie a piece of netting over the top so they cannot escape.
If they live in the water, put them in a tumbler of water. And when you have secured your captives, watch them as much as you can.
If you do not know how to pronounce the words in this book, study the glossary at the back and it will help you.
I hope you will have a very happy time getting acquainted with your little insect neighbors.
MARGARET WARNER MORLEY.
BOSTON, April 18, 1903.

CONTENTS PAGE
OUR PRETTY DRAGON FLIES 3
THE FAIRY MAY FLIES 25
THE STONE FLY FOLK 33
THE SILVER FISH 36
THE OLD COCKROACHES 41
NEIGHBOR WALKING STICK 52
THE GRASSHOPPER TRIBES 59
THE SHORTHORNED GRASSHOPPERS 61
THE LONGHORNED GRASSHOPPERS 81
PRETTY KATYDIDS 94
THE CRICKET-LIKE GRASSHOPPERS 99
THE CHEERY CRICKET PEOPLE 101
A LARGE FAMILY 107
THE GREAT BUG FAMILY 115
THE WATER BOATMAN 116
THE FUNNY BACK-SWIMMERS 124
THE GIANT WATER BUG 125
LITTLE MRS. SHORE BUG 127
THE AIRY WATER STRIDERS 127
A QUEER FELLOW 129
THE WELL DRESSED LACE BUG 132
A BAD BUG 133
THE TROUBLESOME RED BUG 135
THE RAVENOUS CHINCH BUGS 138
THE WELL PROTECTED STINK BUG 139
THE LOUSE 142
BIRD LICE AND BOOK LICE 142
FRIEND CICADA 143
THE ODD SPITTLE INSECT 152
PRETTY LEAF HOPPERS 154
THE COMICAL TREE HOPPERS 157
THE JUMPING PLANT LICE 157
THE APHIDS 158
SCALE BUGS 165
THE HORNED CORYDALUS 175
FAIRY LACEWING 183
THE ANT LION 187
THE LITTLE CADDICE FLIES 190

~ODONATA~
~EPHEMERIDA~
~PLECOPTERA~
~THYSANURA~
[Illustration]

OUR PRETTY DRAGON FLIES
Come, children; come with me.
Come to a pond I know of.
See how the water shines in the sun.
Over there is an old log lying on the edge of the pond.
It is covered with green moss, and a green frog is sitting on one end of it.
Let us go and sit on the other end.
Goop! he says, and--plump! he has jumped into the water.
That is too bad, frog; we did not mean to disturb you.
How pretty it is here!
See the pickerel weed growing out in the water with its arrow-shaped leaves, and its spikes of purple flowers.
See, down in the water are little fish, and very likely pollywogs are there too, and lots of queer little things.
But who is this darting over the pond?
Ah, we know you.
You are our queer little, dear little old dragon fly.
Look, children; see the dragon flies darting about like flashes of light in every direction.
They are having such a good time.
Whizz! One flashed right past Mollie's ear.
[Illustration]
Pretty people, I wish one of you would come and sit by us a little while, so we could get a good look at you.
What is that, Ned? You have found a large one lying on the ground?
Sure enough; it is a beauty too, with a green body and silver wings.
Something seems to be wrong with it; it does not fly nor try to get away.
What a big one it is!
My! my! what eyes!
Don't crowd, Amy; let little Nell see too.
What is that you say, Richard? "It catches mosquitoes and gnats and flies and other insects while flying."
Yes, and that is why it has such big eyes. We should need big eyes ourselves if we were to spend our time chasing mosquitoes.
Two eyes you have, little dragon fly, like the rest of us, but your eyes are