If the dragon-fly
larva ate him, I should never forgive myself, and you know you don't
know for certain that the beetle is _Hydroeus piceus_. I shall give him
an aquarium of his very own in a green finger-glass, with nothing but a
little very nice duckweed, and one small snail to keep it clean, like a
general servant. May I, Francis?"
"By all means. I don't want your scarlet spider. I can get lots more."
He went on dipping with the colander, and she began to dig up
water-plants and lay them in a heap. I sat and watched them, but the
_Ranatra_ got nervous and tried to go below. As usual, the dry bristles
in his tail would not pierce the water without a struggle, and after
floundering in the most ludicrous fashion for a few minutes, he fell
straight into the colander, and was put into one of the pickle-jars.
"I've got enough now," said the boy, "and I want to go home and see
about my net. I must have some fish. Can you carry the plants, Molly?"
"I'll manage," said Molly. "Now I'm ready."
"Wait a minute, though--I'd forgotten the beetle."
When I heard this I dropped into the water; but somehow or other I
turned over very clumsily, and, like the _Ranatra_, I fell through into
the colander, and was transferred to a pickle-jar.
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