CHAPTER XIV. 

 EPHEMERIDA. 



This is the order of the May flies, curious gauzy- 

 winged creatures to be found in the neighborhood of 

 ponds or streams, where the sunlight falls, or near the 

 electric lights, if you are on the lookout for " sights." 

 The body of the adult May fly is extremely frail ; the wings 

 are made of the finest gauze stretched over a framework 

 of delicate veins. The front wings, when all four are 

 present, are much larger than the hind wings; and the 

 hind wings, in some species, are greatly reduced or wanting. 

 There is very little of chitin in the body walls, hence the 

 powers of flight are slight, and the insect lacks fighting 

 qualities, the qualities which always make for the individ- 

 ual in its struggle for survival in a world filled with other 

 living beings. The insect is so weak in the adult stage 

 that about the only explanation of its persistence seems 

 to be: first, the greater strength and assertiveness of the 

 insect in its immature stage; and second, the fact that the 

 reproductive energy of the adult is discharged so soon 

 after the last moult. 



In the female the legs are weak, while in the males 

 it is only the hind legs that are weak. The abdomen 

 of both sexes usually bears two or three stiffish bristles at 

 the caudal end. The head has compound eyes and short 

 antennas ; some species are provided with weakly-developed 

 mouth parts, but in most May flies the mouth parts are 



213 



