68 LIST OF FLIES. 



or black silk, well waxed, for body, etc. ; with a few fibres 

 of dark red mohair at the breast for legs. 



The black ant selects for her dwelling the roots of large 

 oak or other trees, that are decayed, or have openings suf- 

 ficient to admit them ; she is constantly busy, and has her 

 time of swarming, like the red ant. There is a community 

 of them within the roots of a large oak tree, that stands 

 close to the stile by the footpath near Masterman's cottage, 

 going to Whitcliffe. Some may be seen with wings, the 

 beginning of next month ; they are tender and susceptible 

 of cold, only coming out freely on warm soft days, and 

 most towards evening. 



NOTE FOR JUNE. This radiant remnant of the spring 

 consigns her vast handiworks to summer, and mazy multi- 

 tudes of insects are on the wing both day and night. The 

 rising sun rouses the day tribes, and its setting rays rise 

 those of the night. The Empress and fairy queen enter the 

 month in full force : the Empress, with her nocturnal allies, 

 revel through the short twilight of night, which is as fish- 

 able as the day. The amber drake, with all her kindred of 

 red drakes ; the red dun, with all her nightly trains of duns, 

 throng the waters, and are taken by the fishes, through the 

 shades of night ; but the princely trout prefers the Imperial 

 fly. The fairy queen, with the day tribes the browns, 

 drakes, and duns, spinners, house flies, and beetles, revel 

 their rounds through the lengthy light warm day, but when 

 the Queen appears in sunny spendour she eclipses all, and 

 foils the craftsman's mimic art ; and, be it remembered, 

 that foul days for the Queen are fine days for the Empress. 

 The vast variety of flies their various times of hatching, 

 and appearance on the water with the varying tastes of 

 the fish render variety the order of the day, extending 

 through the night. On seasonable days, in the morning 

 part, when flies are thin on the water, the black gnat, needle 



