XV 



MAY -FLIES IN FALL BROOK 



WHAT can the Professor be looking at? He 

 picks up every flat stone he can reach and holds 

 it, dripping, close to his eye, peering at something 

 through his lens. 



The class in entomology were studying brook 

 life, and this was our first field trip. 



"Now, here," said the. Professor, dropping to 

 his knees at the water's edge, "we shall find May- 

 fly nymphs on the stones." We had all seen the 

 pictures, carefully made from nature, but some- 

 how the tiny, flat, squirming creatures on the wet 

 stones did not do the engravings justice. Pres- 

 ently a member of the class found a larger one 

 which really began to resemble the picture. We 

 all grew enthusiastic and would have turned the 

 whole bottom of Fall Brook topsy-turvy in our 

 search, but for the size of the stones. 



May-flies are the most delicate and refined of 

 insects. They are blessed with many common 

 names. They have more crimes laid to their charge 

 than they could bear were there not millions of 

 them to share the blame. In July I have seen a 

 building on the bank of the St. Lawrence fairly 

 white with their cast-off nymph-skins in early 

 morning. Later in the day I have heard credulous 

 "summer girls" relate tales of poisonous stings or 



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