LIFE STORY OF THE "FLASK " INSECT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20668, 13 September 1930, Page 4 (Supplement)

LIFE STORY OF THE "FLASK " INSECT.

H. COLLETT. RO, Taranaki Street, WelJington. A green, slimy-looking wend may frequently bo observed flouting ill bunches at tlio surface of water in ponds and stagnant pools. Should you collect some of this, and wash carefully in a bowl, you will probably find some small insects crawling about at the bottom. Ilavo a strong magnifying glass at hand to examine them with, and you may receive a pleasant surprise. Almost tlio first thing to really catch your eye, will be their outstanding peculiarity, each will be partly enclosed in a semi-transparent " case," much like a " flask " in shape, and very flat at tlio bottom. Tlio outside is corrugated; the neck thicker and stronger than the rest; and both ends open, the lower opening is much wider than that at the neck, stretching almost right across tlio full width of the case, and allows for an easy circulation of fresh water through it. This is the grub s home, one he cannot leave even if ho wants to, and which ho does not want to leave. Why ? Because his abdomen, is so phenomenally big, from the sixth segment down, he is unable to possibly squeeze through either opening; and. because it is his castle, and saves him from many enemies.

The grub, or caterpillar, is quite pretty; those parts that can come out of the flask being hard, horny, and covered with hairy prickles, the rest of the body, quite soft. The head and chest, are of yellowish brown; the legs of the same colour, with this peculiarity; they have a groove in each joint so they can be folded up into tho length of one joint, and take up little space. Tho huge abdomen —comparatively—is bright green with two orange-coloured spots at tho base of the last segment.

The chrysalis is really :i most strange looking object, easily seen through Die case, and not so very unliko tho carrcatnro of a Tibetan priest's head and shoulders, in an attitudo of prayer, in n brown cell or room. When the caterpillar, or grub, is about to enter upon the chrysalis state, it must got quite busy. Firstly it fastens down the " tlask " to a stouo with four strands, one at each corner of tlio two openings; then it closes up tho ono at tlie neck of the "flask"; after that it makes an inner case, with an arch at tlio top, a little below what was the lower end of tlie " flask," but now become tlio upper. Then, in seven days, it becomes a chrysalis without any power of movement. Just before tlio chrysalis enters tlio final change of becoming tlio " perfect " winged little fly, it breaks 'its way through iho partition, at tho wide end of the "(Insk " and floats upwards to the, surface of the water, reaches tlio edge of the pool, probably drifting there. The thoracic (chest portion), shell bursts; then, tlio "imago" (complete insect), crawls cait and up a grass blade; expands its wings till suflicicntly dry and firm enough for flight and soars away. What a pretty little crealtiro it is too! A brownish body, a quarter of an inch long; six long slender, yellow legs with spikes on the last, "joint"; the upper wings, yellow, darkly spotted with feathery plumes at the edges; tho lower pair tinged in pink. Should any " boys and gil ls " wish to observe for themselves this beautiful insect, a glass will serve as an aquarium. The " perfect fly " is plentiful in summer near ponds and streams; tho grubs obtained as already mentioned. After the final transformation, tho empty " flasks " will be seen stuck to the sides of tlio aquarium.

Tito children wcro having an objectlesson on (ho, heron, and (ho teacher jioinled out that the. heron has 110 tail to sjioalc of. When Iho essay was written nun liltlo girl wrote, " The heron has a fail, but it must not be talked about." —From Elma Leo, ilinvera.