108 DR. HOOD NOTES ON THE MAT FLT. 



of not quite one-third. Tlie colour is j^enerally altered, the wings 

 becoming shining and transparent. Tlie male carries two large 

 stemmata upon his head, and a pair of callipers at the end of 

 his body, which two peculiarities chiefly distinguish his appearance 

 from the female. He is also usually rather smaller than she is. He 

 may be seen merrily dancing, as it were, up and down in the air in 

 vast crowds, frequently near a bush by the water- side, whilst the 

 female is to be discovered busily employed rising and falling and 

 hovering over the water, and sometimes touching the surface and 

 making use of her long tails to spring up again. She lays her eggs 

 at this moment." The egg itself is of infinitesimal size, and it 

 may be that the rapidity of growth of the larva is out of all pro- 

 portion to the dimensions of the cavity from whence it sprung. 

 When the larva has attained a certain size, it changes to the caddis 

 state, constructing a mansion for itself, by attaching small pieces 

 of wood, straw, small stones, etc., and it lies concealed in this 

 cylindrical habitation until the time arrives for its ultimate change.* 

 On examining one of these objects the head will be observed 

 slightly protruding, and a short pair of legs may be seen beneath 

 the thorax — but these can only be observed when the caddis is not 

 alarmed. It has the power of crawling and attaching itself to 

 timbers, or large stones, and is seen on the gravelly bottom of rivers. 

 AVhilst in the caddis state trout and other fish will feed on it, swal- 

 lowing it case and all, the gastric juice of the stomach digesting 

 the contents of the case. Trout, more especially, may often be 

 observed "feeding at the bottom," as fishermen call it, in shallow 

 streams. Their tails will be out of water, whilst their heads are 

 burrowing in the gravel for these and other insects. When thus 

 occupied, the chances of catching fish are very small. 



The May fly is common in the rivers that are unpolluted in the 

 Midland, Western, and Southern counties. It is not so common 

 in the North, and is rare and even unknown in many of the 

 best rivers in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. In Hampshire there 

 is a celebrated club called the Houghton Club, which owns many 

 miles of the river Test. This river is one of great purity, and the 

 May fly is most abundant on it. The members belonging to the club 

 assemble together for the express purpose of fishing during the 

 " May Fly Season," which lasts for a fortnight, and it is a period 

 of extreme enjoyment to them. They have a large tent erected on 

 the bank of the stream, and they constitute a most agreeable party. 



On the river Wandle, in Surrey, no May fly appears, but they 

 have a fly on that water common also to others, which the fishermen 

 call their May fly, which appears about the same time, but it is the 

 alder fly or orl fly, which belongs to the same order, Neuroptera, 

 as the genuine May fly. This comes also from a water nympha, 



* This view of the metamorphosis of the IVIay fly is not that generally held by 

 naturalists, who believe the caddis to be the larva of Phnjfiaiwa (and alliea 

 genera)— not of Ephemera. Izaak Walton, however, says that the May fly "is 

 bred of the cod-worm or caddis," and this seems to be the general opinion of 

 anglers. — Ed. 



