THE CLASSES. 



IST. BROWNS. The browns claim priority in the 

 angler's list, they are all bred in the water, and are of 

 the same shape and construction as the stone fly, 

 which is the largest of the class, and the needle brown 

 is the smallest; they have three shoulder joints that 

 join together in a line with the head and body, which 

 gives the length and cylindrical form of the carcase of 

 the fly [see Creeper.] Their bodies are smooth and 

 fleshy, consisting of eight or nine joints, or rings, and 

 is about the length of the head and shoulders. At the 

 breast of each shoulder there is a pair of legs, and 

 they have two pair of smooth oblong wings, which, 

 when folded, circle close over and beyond the body in 

 a round cylindrical form, giving most of the species the 

 appearance of a short piece of wire. The top wings 

 shew veiny, and stand on the middle shoulder ; the 

 under wings stand on the shoulder which joins the 

 body. They have two feelers at the head, and most of 

 them two whisks at the tail. Their most prevailing 

 color is brown, from which they are named, on a yellow 

 or orange ground ; and are very quick runners both on 

 land and water. All the class are day flies, except the 

 stone fly, which sometimes steal out in the gloom of 

 dark days, but generally in the dusk and twilight of 

 night. They are the earliest and latest angling flies ; 

 most of the species hatch in the spring, but some are 

 on the water nearly the seasons round. Some species, 

 like the stone fly, hatch the main swarm in two or three 

 weeks, and their generation disappear for the year; 



