GREY DRAKE. 37 



almost quite another colour,, being of a paler and 

 more livid yellow, and green and ribbed with 

 black quite down his body, with black shining 

 wings, diaphanous and very tender : it comes in 

 and is taken after the green drake, and when 

 made artificially, as directed in part the 2d, for 

 the month of May, kills fish very well. The fol- 

 lowing curious account of it from Bowlker can- 

 not fail to amuse the reader. 



" 1 happened to walk by the river-side, at that 

 season of the year, when the May-flies (he means 

 the grey sort), which are a species of the Libetla, 

 come up out of the water, where they lie in their 

 husks for a considerable time, at the bottom or 

 sides of the river, near the likeness of the nymph 

 of the small common Libella ; but when it is 

 mature, it splits open its case, and then, with 

 great agility, up springs the new little animal, 

 with a slender body, four blackish-veined, trans- 

 parent wings, with four black spots on the upper 

 wings, and the under wings much smaller than 

 the upper ones, with three long hairs on its tail. 

 The husks which are left behind float innumera- 

 ble on the water. It seemed to me a species of 

 Ephemeron, and I imagined it was the same in- 

 sect described by Godart and Swamerdan ; but a 

 few days convinced me to the contrary, for I soon . 

 found them to be of longer duration than theirs. 

 The first business of this creature, after he is dis- 

 engaged from the water, is flying about to find 

 out a proper place to fix on, as trees, bushes, &c. 

 to wait for another surprising change, which is 

 effected in a few days. The first hint I received 

 ef this wonderful operation was seeing the exuvite 

 hanging on a hedge: I then collected a great 

 many, and put them into boxes ; and by strictly 



