220 MINUTE MARVELS OF NATURE 



notably those of the May-fly and caddis-fly, for 

 which purpose Nature has provided them with a 

 pair of powerful biting mandibles, which may be 

 seen in the illustration Fig. 146. The filaments 



Fig. 145. Eggs of the alder-fly on the leaf of 

 the common iris or yellow flag 



which appear at the sides of the abdomen are the 

 animal's breathing organs. 



About May or June the larva has done feeding; 

 it leaves the water and burrows in the earth, 

 perhaps several yards from the pond ; and thence, 

 after an interval of two or three weeks, the clumsy 

 fly emerges. They are quite easy to capture, 

 being slow on the wing. 



