THE EPHEMERID^E. 55 



parent, and its whisks are considerably longer. 

 The insect is at last, after so much labour and 

 danger, in its perfect or imigo state, and being now 

 furnished with organs to continue its species it 

 loses no time in fulfilling the Divine command. 

 Indeed, it has no time to lose. The new life, or 

 rather state of existence, into which it is launched 

 is but a very brief one its very moments are 

 numbered. The parental duties are hastily com- 

 menced, and the life of both the male and female 

 insect ceases with their accomplishment. The 

 duns and other smaller species lay their eggs 

 while sitting on the water, but the May-fly, and 

 some others, do so while springing up and down 

 in the air, from the surface. The whole number 

 deposited by a single May-fly has been calculated 

 at eight hundred, which, perhaps, is considerably 

 more than that deposited by the smaller species. 

 Very little time is occupied in depositing them, 

 as they are arranged in two packets, the contents 

 of each being cemented together with a substance 

 soluble in water. These packets are deposited at 

 the same moment, and the grains of which they 

 are composed separate, and become dispersed 

 in the water, to be hatched as before described. 

 To counterbalance its immense prolificacy, the 

 enemies of the little insect are numerous and 

 E 4 



