CHAP. V. THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 85 



'Tis endless to tell you what the curious searchers into 

 nature's productions have observed of these worms and 

 flies: but yet I shall tell you what Aldrovandus, 1 our 



The author, walking by the side of the river at Winchester, May 26, 1744, 

 was shewn the May-fly, [conjectured to be the musca tripilii mentioned iu 

 Moufet, Insect. Theatr. p. Gl. and is questionless the grey drake,] which (he 

 says) lies all the year, but [except] a few days, in the bottom or sides of the 

 river, [we must suppose in its nymphatic state, like the cudis, straw -worm, and 

 other species of the iibella ;] and rising, when mature, to the surface of the 

 water, splits its case, and appears an animal ; [a fly he must mean ;] having a 

 slender body, and three long hairs at the tail, and four blackish veined trans- 

 parent shining wings, the under much the smaller, and the upper having four 

 black spots. He says, that having disengaged itself from its e.ruvia, [i.e. the 

 case above mentioned,] of which, he adds, he saw innumerable floating on the 

 water, the next business of this creature is flying a!>out to find a proper place 

 to fix on, as trees, rushes, #c. ; and that having fixed, it waits for another 

 change, which in two or three days is completed, and which he thus describes : 



" The first hint I received of this wonderful operation, [i. e. the second trans- 

 formation,] I took from the appearance of their ejmvia: [he must here mean their 

 second cxuvia hereafter mentioned] hanging on the hedges. Of these, [not the 

 exuvitc, but the flies] I collected many; and puttiug them into boxes, could 

 easily discover when they were ready to put off their old cloaths, though so 

 lately put on." 



He says, he had the pleasure to shew his friends one of these creatures, that 

 lie held on his finger all the while it performed this great work ; and that it was 

 surprising to see the back part of the fly split open, and produce a new l>irth, 

 [i. c. a new fly,] which left the case of the head, body, wings, legs, and even the 

 three-haired tail [of the old one,] behind it. He adds, that after it had reposed 

 itself awhile, it flew abroad with great briskness, to seek a mate. 



After an enumeration of some particulars which I choose to omit, he says, he 

 observed that when the females were impregnated, they left the males, and be- 

 took themselves to the river; where darting up and down, they were seen to 

 ej. :t a cluster of eggs, which seemed a pale bluish speck, like a small drop of 

 milk, as they [the specks] were sinking to the bottom of the river; and that, 

 then, [when the flies had thus ejected their eggs,] by the elasticity of their tails 

 they sprung up, and darted down again, continuing so to do till, having ex- 

 hausted their stock of eggs, together with their strength, they were able to rise 

 no mere, and became an easy prey to the fish. This is the end of the females; 

 but of the males he says, that they never resort to the waters, but, after t.iey 

 have done their office, drop down, langubh, aud die, among the trees and 

 bushes. 



The conclusion of his letter, for I am tired of abridging it, I give in Ihe 

 author's own words. " They appear at six o'clock in the evening. On the 26th 

 of May I perceived a few ; but the 27th, 28th, 29th, and 30th, it was a sight very 

 surprising and entertaining, to see the rivers teeming with innumerable pretty 

 nimble flying animals, aud almost every thing near covered with them : when I 

 looked up, the air was full of them as high as I could discern, and seemed so 

 thick, and always in motion; [the air he tells you, but he means the flies;] the 

 like it seems when one looks up and sees the snow coming down. And yet this 

 wonderful appearance, in three or four days alter the last of May, totally 

 disappeared." 



(1) Ulyssts Aldrovandut, a great physician and naturalist of Bologna; he 

 wrote 120 books on several subjects, and a treatise DC Piscibus, published a( 

 Frauckfort, ifiK). 



