I got a bit of a chuckle, last night.

I was working at my computer, usually the only light in the room when doing
so is my desk lamp and a little light spilling in from the hall, when my two
cats come charging into the room with Peepers leading and Smudge trailing.

I am a little puzzled momentarily as I assume they are playing chase but
when they come to a dead halt and stare at something moving on the ceiling I
know it is not chase.  I look around a bit but see nothing.

Then I hear a loud buzzing that I think is a large moth, which is a common
occurrence but not a sign of one.  I am about to give up when a really large
dragonfly suddenly appears between me and the computer and Peepers is in
full action.  But this dragonfly is having nothing of this large dark shadow
with evil eyes coming at him and turns up hits the ceiling and reels toward
a high set of drawers and alights momentarily with Peepers trying to get up
to the top and Smudge looking on (Peepers is the big game specialist here -
Smudge does better on the smaller objects like flies and the occasional
wasp - she is real careful with them).

The dragonfly recovers and heads back out into the hall and I think no more
of it.

When I come out later to give the cats some treats, the dragonfly is still
quivering next to the dry food bowl.  Everytime it moves, Peepers leaps into
the air, mouths it and lets it go while Smudge sits back and enjoys his
prowess and wishes she could handle something this big because Peepers isn't
going to let her.  Peepers now realizes that I am present and he moves the
dragonfly into the hall out of my sight as he probably remembers what
happened to some of the other big game that I've taken away and disposed of.

He stops briefly to have his treats.

Then goes on with the game and Smudge realizing that she is getting no part
of this goes into the bedroom to sleep.  During the rest of the evening
while watching TV, I am getting an acrobatic display from Peepers as he
leaves the dragonfly goes a distance away and then flips, jumps and races
back to the long dead dragonfly (now in two parts - heavy body and a
separate tail.  He would do this for ten minutes or so every half hour for
hours.

It was amusing watching him making sure that it was dead.

I couldn't find it this morning to dispose of so I assume he ate it,  I
certainly do not want to find dried dragonfly parts over the next little
while.

I never did figure out where the dragonfly came from though.  I live near
the centre of Toronto, near a large cemetary and there is no swamp or pond
anywhere in the area.  The Don River is not that far off - 1/2 kilometer but
that river valley is park, mowed grassland and certainly no swamp or ponds.
Anybody any idea what other habitats they live in.  Then there is my usual
complaint about why they are coming into my apartment on the 16th floor.
Mind you the cats are not complaining they are waiting and hoping for the
next one

Larry Osborne