parent, and its whisks are considerably longer. The insect is at last, after so much labour and danger, in its perfect or imigo state, and being now furnished with organs to continue its species it loses no time in fulfilling the Divine command. Indeed, it has no time to lose. The new life, or rather state of existence, into which it is launched is but a very brief one its very moments are numbered. The parental duties are hastily commenced, and the life of both the male and female insect ceases with their accomplishment. The duns and other smaller species lay their eggs while sitting on the water, but the May-fly, and some others, do so while springing up and down in the air, from the surface. The whole number deposited by a single May-fly has been calculated at eight hundred, which, perhaps, is considerably more than that deposited by the smaller species. Very little time is occupied in depositing them, as they are arranged in two packets, the contents of each being cemented together with a substance soluble in water. These packets are deposited at the same moment, and the grains of which they are composed separate, and become dispersed in the water, to be hatched as before described. To counterbalance its immense prolificacy, the enemies of the little insect are numerous and

voracious. The swallow which skims the pool, and the trout which breaks its surface, immolate thousands when in the very act of propagating their kind—and the latter, too, are not indifferent to their future winged prey when in the state of crawling grubs at the bottom of the water.

The blue dun appears upon the water towards the end of February, or earlier in mild weather, and continues in a succession of species and varieties throughout the season. After the blue

par"The

dun has changed its first-winged coating, in the manner just described, it assumes a different colour and is called the red spinner-in which state it lays its eggs. Its imitation in the dun state, however, is most used by anglers ticularly in the early part of the season. term dun," observes Mr. Ronalds, "seems to have been applied in a general sense to the different species of ephemerida in the first winged state (except those of the largest size) another name being added to designate each species-as the blue dun, yellow dun, &c. In like manner the term spinner seems to have been applied as a general name for the final or perfect state of the same insect another name, also, being added to distinguish each species, as the red spinner, the great red spinner," &c. The latter is the meta

morphosis of the much praised and far famed March brown, or brown drake, as it is often called, which is a large brown insect of great beauty, and forms, if the inhabitant of another element may be allowed to judge, a very tempting and appetible morsel. It appears on the water in the middle of March, and continues about three weeks, and sometimes rather longer.* It is only seen in warm days, when few duns are to be found, and its imitation is used most successfully in windy weather, upon the ranges or deep parts of the river. In April a species of pale lemon-coloured dun, with delicate gauze-like wings, comes on; and towards the end of the month is succeeded by a variety more decidedly yellow, with wings of nearly the same colour as the body. The spinners to which these duns change are of lighter and darker red in proportion to the yellow tint of their precursors. As the season advances, the duns, in both their winged stages, become gradually darker, and by the middle of September they acquire the same hue as on their first appearance in spring. A variety

* When a fly is spoken of as remaining on the water for a certain time, it must be remembered that not an individual, but a species, is meant a new generation being hatched every day, and often every hour.

called the September blue is very prevalent during the whole of autumn. It is very small and nearly white. The iron blue, or Scotchman, is one of the most delicate and beautiful of water flies. It is most abundant, on cold days, from the middle of April to the middle of May, but it is occasionally on the water through the rest of the season. Its imitation is in great repute, being on many rivers what the May-fly is on others one of the best and most favourite flies. Its little body and wings are very dark blue, and its legs yellow. After casting its skin it appears in the very different garb of the white or silver spinner- the imitation of which is chiefly used in summer evening fishing. Of the British ephemeridæ the largest is E. vulgata the May-fly. This beautiful insect, though totally unknown in many rivers, literally swarms in others. It usually appears towards the end of May, and continues in season about a month. It is greedily taken by trout, which soon give ample proof of its nutritious qualities; and its imitation particularly if dressed smaller than usual — may be very successfully used, especially in windy weather. In its first winged state it is known by the name of the green drake. The female changes to the grey drake, and the male

to the black drake-which last is seldom imi

tated artificially.

It is somewhat extraordinary-and we are not the first to notice the circumstance- that the natural history of the May-fly should be so little understood by many of the best anglers on the rivers on which it abounds. It is generally believed to spring from a cad-case similar to that of the stone fly. The idea is altogether erroneous. These identical species, indeed, are the leading English members of two distinct classes of insects, widely differing from each other, in their structure and habits, during every state of their exist

ence.

The stone fly belongs to the family Perlidæ, which is included in the same order as the ephemeridæ. It is a very large brown insect, in season during April and May, and its imitation is only fished with in windy weather. To the same family belong also the yellow sally, appearing in May; the willow fly-a large insect, though much smaller than the stone fly, and easily recognised by its habit of fluttering about on the surface of the water; and the red fly, which appears in February, or earlier in mild weather, and continues till April.