THE MAYFLY 23 



chancing to take place when the insect is 

 hovering over the river. Normally, the male 

 imago passes its existence in sheltered places, 

 sometimes quite a long distance from the 

 stream waiting to copulate with the female. 

 These points have an important bearing on the 

 choice of patterns for the day's fishing. 



Family . . EPHEMERID.E The may 



Genus . . Ephemera fly * 



T danica 

 Species . . \ vulgata 



I lineata 



PLATE I 



There can be 'few English, or even British 

 fly-fishermen who have not, at some time or 

 other, made the acquaintance of at least one 

 of the species of Ephemera found in this country. 

 All three species are popularly termed may- 

 flies ; but in the North, fishermen sometimes 

 apply the name to insects forming part of quite 

 a different group, Per la cephalotes or Per la 

 maxima, which are PERLID^: or Stone-flies. 



The three species occurring in these islands 

 are Ephemera danica, Ephemera vulgata, and 

 Ephemera lineata, the last named being rarely 

 found. Mr. Eaton describes them in the follow- 

 ing words : 



" Ephemera vulgata. The dorsal markings of Ephemera 

 the abdomen are a pair of pitch-brown, curvi- 

 linear trilateral spots, broadest at the base of 



