THE BADGER 



675 



their singularly elegant, dancing flight 

 over a pond or shcUlow stream, rising and 

 falling with a wonderfidly rhythmic motion 

 above the surface of the water. 



The female ]\Iay-flies deposit their eggs 

 in httle packets upon the water, and the 

 larvce on making their escape descend to 

 the bottom of the pond or stream, where 

 they lurk beneath stones, or excavate 

 httle burrows furnished with an opening 

 at each end. The larval period lasts for 

 a considerable time, probably two or three 

 years, during which time the insects prey 

 upon other pond larvae, seizing their vic- 

 tims with the aid of their weU- developed, 

 shai"p-pointed jaws. Tliey continue to be 

 acti\'e during the nymph stage, when the 

 rudiments of the wings are visible. \Mien 

 the nymph is full grown, it crawls up the 

 stem of a plant until it gets above the 

 surface of the pond, and then waits while 

 its skin dries and cracks down the back, 

 and so enables the adult to emerge. But 

 at this stage the creature is not quite 

 perfect ; indeed, it is a sort of pseudo- 



perfect insect, for although able to use 

 its wings for a short flight, all its parts are 

 covered over and entirely enclosed in a 

 very delicate membrane which completely 

 hides the true colouring of the perfect 

 insect. In this condition, the insect flies 

 to some branch or other suitable resting- 

 place, where, after an interval, this dehcate 

 membrane is ruptured, and the now per- 

 fect May-fly makes its escape and quickly 

 flies away to join in the merry dance of 

 its countless kin. 



The Corethra, or Ghost lar\-a. to be 

 found in most ponds, is so wonderfully 

 transparent that it can hardly be dis- 

 tinguished from the water in which it 

 swims. It is a long and slender insect, 

 and has a very formidable and forbidding 

 looking head, but is graced with a most 

 exquisite, dehcate fan of hairs near the 

 extremity of its body. The perfect 

 Corethra somewhat closely resembles the 

 common Gnat in general appearance, and 

 is a small, brownish insect about a 

 quarter of an inch long. 



F. Martin Duncan. 



HOW TO KNOW THE WILD ANIMALS 



By DOUGLAS ENGLISH, B.A., F.R.P.S. 

 Author of " Wee Tim'rous Beasties," " Beasties Courageous," etc. 



THE BADGER 



THE BROCK THE GREY THE EARTH PIG 



With Photographs by the Author 



THE gardener, whose skill with 

 animals appeals to me e\'en more 

 strongly than his skill with plants, 

 has just brought word that my two 

 Badgers, to wit, Sally and Jemima, 

 have totally disappeared. Sally and 

 Jemima live in a derelict green-house — 

 from which a three feet climb would free 

 them. But Sally and Jemima are of the 

 earth, earthy. Now and again they rear 

 full stretch and file their claws on the 

 brickwork. With this their climbing 

 ends. The heights hold out no promise. 

 Their green-house is paved, or, rather, 



was paved, with slabs of pottery ; Roman 

 in origin, I fancy, for at the last desecration 

 of our local " villa " their counterparts 

 were much in evidence. On the top of 

 these slabs are bricks, piled with design 

 to stack the corners. In driving slants 

 SaUy and Jemima greatly affect the 

 corners ; wherefore I have arranged that 

 before they reach the tiles they must 

 shift their tale of bricks. The weather 

 governs these occasions, but, when the 

 fit seizes them, the task seems easy 

 enough. I have seen Sally with her 

 head buried, and the bricks (good honest 



