MAY-FLIES. 267 



the May-fly is an inhabitant of the water, and in form much 

 resembles the perfect insect, except that it has no wings. 

 This species lives in the muddy banks of rivers and ponds, and 

 burrows for itself certain ingenious« tunnels. These burrows 

 are double, running liorizontally into the mud, and having two 

 outlets. In fact,, they are shaped much like the letter C, so 

 that the larva can crawl in and out of its hole with perfect 

 ease. Its food appears to consist of the decaying vegetable 

 matter of which fresh-water mud is largely composed. 



In consequence of its hidden dwelling, this larva is not often 

 seen even by those who are in the habit of fishing for aquatic 

 insects. I have found two plans to be successful in its capture. 

 The first is, to detach a lai'ge piece of mud, take it carefully 

 from its place, and then examine it under water. The second 

 plan is, to push a stick into the mud and work it about so as 

 to drive the larvae out of their burrows, and then to move the 

 net rapidly to and fro in the clouded water. By this plan 

 several other aquatic insects may be captured, which are much 

 too wary to allow a net to come near them as long as they can 

 see it. The muddy water, however, reduces them to a tem- 

 porary state of blindness, and they are then taken without 

 difficulty. Some of the smaller species do not burrow, but 

 live at liberty in the water. In these species the surface of tlie 

 body is harder than in those which burrow. 



One of these larvae is shown in Plate VIII. Fig. 2, in order 

 Uj give the reader an idea of its shape. In its larval condition 

 this creature is furnished with two rather long and many- 

 jointed antennae, which, in the perfect insect, shrink into an 

 almost rudimentary form. Along each side of the body runs a 

 series of thin plates in which the branchiae or gills spread them- 

 selves. These are said to assist in locomotion, but I have not 

 seen them used for that purpose ; the undulation of the body 

 and the employment of the legs seeming to be sufficient for 

 that purpose. At the end of the abdomen are three fringed 

 appendages or setae, and it is a rather curious fact that even in 

 those species which have only two setffi in the perfect state, the 

 larva possesses three of those appendages. The pupa diflers 

 little in shape from the larva, except that the wings show 

 themselves boldly in the form of projections in the back of the 

 thorax. 



