IN A FISHING COUNTRY 



likely to appear. Following such indica- 

 tions as temperature and vegetation afford, 

 we have sometimes found ourselves early 

 or late. Michel, at length, supplied the 

 key. He observed that the may-fly (the 

 marine) is due when the water-lily rises to 

 the surface, and, further, that the water- 

 lily appears about a month after the break- 

 up of the ice. The Spring of 1917 was late, 

 after a hard winter (in those parts) with a 

 heavy snowfall. The may-fly, commonly 

 expected about June 25th, did not arrive 

 until July 10th. Trees and flowers were 

 making their normal display, in weather 

 that was warm and fine; but from June 

 27th to July 4th we watched in vain for the 

 may-fly — there was no complaint as to a de- 

 ficiency of other flies — and were compelled 

 to depart without seeing the rise of a single 

 nitidus. Terrestrial conditions, then, are 

 misleading; the length of time which must 

 elapse before the winged manna comes to 

 the birth is not under the immediate con- 

 trol of air or sun; we have to descend to 

 the sub-aqueous region if we would dis- 

 cover the moment when the beginnings of 

 animal and vegetable growth become pos- 

 sible. The disappearance of the ice would 



92 I 



