THE MAYFLY. 155 



ready for its short adult life. Though it has 

 wings, it is still encumbered by a delicate robe. 



This sub-imago, as it is often called, finds 

 some resting place on grass stem or tree trunk, 

 gets rid of its last encumbrance, and begins its 

 life of a day. 



The cast-off ghost-like exuviae are found in 

 great numbers. In the summer evening the 

 males and females enjoy a brief merry love- 

 dance. The females are fertilised, the eggs are 

 dropped into the water, and then sometimes in 

 a single day the bright crowd is gone. It is 

 literally true that at the moment of their climax 

 they die. 



The most familiar species is Ephemera vulgata, 

 the common may-fly, the green drake (sub- 

 imago) and gray drake of anglers. 



MAYFLY FISHING. 



As a rule, the mayfly week offers an ideal 

 holiday to the angler; giving to many a man 

 his first real summer outing in the water 

 meadows. My earliest experience of it was 

 vastly different. Keen disappointment, accom- 

 panied by equally keen north wind, was the first 

 introduction I had to the so called carnival of 

 mayfly fishing. Wind swept meadows, bending 

 rushes, and a cold gray river hurrying towards 

 you in waves and eddies, formed the conditions 

 and prospect of the glorious first of June in 

 that year; and continued, with slight changes 

 of a more favourable nature, until the sixth. 



Facing the wind on the opening day, I 



