There is also a spot
that answers to the appearance of an eye on the ninth segment."
The Dunk Island representative of the family does not possess the power
of protruding and withdrawing its terminal segment, but it certainly
assumes a resemblance to a snake, and a pugnacious snake too. Further,
the Tring insect does not appear to possess wings. My friend does--though
she flies as the Scotchman admitted he joked--"wi' deefeeculty." She
spreads her light, gauzy, grey, and shockingly inadequate, skirts, and
romps and rollicks away, giving one a fleeting impression of a bold and
most disorderly ballet girl. "She" is quite the proper mode of
address, for there can be no mistake as to the sex.
The male is a slim individual, not half the length, and about one-fourth
of the circumference of the female. Though (unlike his consort) he is in
his general demeanour sprightly and alert, taking to the wing at the
slightest impulse, in his love-making he is most deliberate, courtly and
formal, the consummation of it all continuing for several days. So we
see that the character of the snake which the female plays with so much
art is not disturbed during the most emotional period of her existence.
Pages:
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363