rounded on the outside. You cannot see their real shape without a
microscope, they are so small. But here is a picture of some facets as
they look under the microscope.

[Illustration]

Eyes like these, made up of many facets, we call compound eyes.

All grown-up insects have compound eyes, though not many have as large
ones as the dragon fly.

Only insects that chase other insects or that need to see in the dark
have very large eyes.

See what a big mouth the dragon fly has. Its jaws do not show unless it
opens its lower lip, which fits over its mouth like a mask.

I should not care to have it bite my finger.

It could not hurt very much, and its bite is not poisonous, still I
shall handle it carefully.

Some call the dragon fly a darning needle, and say it sews up people's
ears when they lie on the grass. This is not true. It does not sew up
anything. It has nothing to sew with.

[Illustration]

Why should it want to sew up people's ears, anyway?