Page:Insect Literature by Lafcadio Hearn.djvu/238

Rh is that certain dragon-flies "carry the image of Kwannon-Sama (Avalokitesvara),"—because the markings upon the backs of the insects bear some faint resemblance to the form of a Buddhist icon.

Different kinds of dragon-fly show themselves at different periods; and the more beautiful species, with few exceptions, are the latest to appear. All Japanese dragon-flies have been grouped by old writers into four classes, according to the predominant color of each variety,—the Yellow, Green (or Blue), Black (or Dark), and Red Dragon-flies. It is said that the yellow-marked insects are the earliest to appear; that the green, blue, and black varieties first show themselves in the Period of Greatest Heat; and that the red kinds are the last to come and the last to go,—vanishing only with the close of autumn. In a vague and general way, these statements can be accepted as results of observation. Nevertheless, the dragon-fly is popularly spoken of as a creature of autumn: indeed one of its many names, Akitsu-mushi signifies "autumn insect." And the appellation is really appropriate; for it is not until the autumn that dragon-flies appear in such multitude as to 註