WISDOM UNDER WATER 



of its husk, and its wings are set up at the moment 

 it reaches the surface, not before. Instead of climb- 

 ing a stem of reed or grass and drying its gauzy 

 wing before it takes to flight, as does a demoiselle 

 dragon fly, the little dun sails down-stream. In a 

 few minutes its wings are dry, and, far soone,r than 

 the demoiselle, it takes to flight. If an up-stream 

 wind blow when the dun hatches, the drying is 

 quicker. Before the dun has sailed a few yards 

 down-stream, it is lifted by the wind ofF the water and 

 carried into the herbage, where it speedily matures 

 against its final stage of life that of " spinner " or 

 " spent gnat." This spinner is a marvellously 

 delicate form of life. One can almost see through 

 a spinner, so flimsy is it, so flesh- and blood-less. 

 Compared with a spinner, a butterfly is opaque. In 

 raiment the spinner is often gorgeous with all the 

 colours of a star near the horizon. That such an 

 unsubstantial thing should be able to absorb or 

 break up a ray of light like prism or hard diamond ! 



Tragedy of a Trout 



In four seasons, by wire, trimmer, and trap, 

 the water-keeper has killed seven hundred and fifty 

 pike and small jack. The largest pike weighed 

 over ten pounds, and no doubt could swallow 

 a trout of a pound and a half to two pounds. 

 Whilst the keeper was giving me his experiences 

 of pike, we had a vivid illustration of its truculence. 



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