

EPHEMERID^E AND PHRYGANID^ 141 



must be an uncommon one, to say the least of it. These 

 larvae make themselves holes in the bed or banks of the river, 

 or reside under stones, etc., so as to be safe from the attacks 

 of the many animals which prey on them. After a time, 

 the larva changes into a pupa (the word pupa signifying a 

 puppet, or doll, from the swathed and swaddled appearance 

 of the grub, with its wings, etc., bandaged about as it were) ; 

 the change in form is slight, but an important change has, 

 nevertheless, taken place. Hitherto the creature has possessed 

 no sign of wings ; changing into the pupa state, it throws 

 off its skin, and another one is developed, and on the shoulders 

 are seen twa excrescences, which are the rudiments of the 

 future wings. The pupa is also larger than the larva. The 

 time which the larva and pupa dwell under water varies in 

 the different species from one to three years, it is supposed. 

 At length, however, the insect approaches to the change 

 into the fly state, when it rises to the surface, or creeps to 

 the bank, and there, splitting off another case, at once emerges 

 a fly. But even now it is not a perfect insect, and is incapable 

 of procreating its species ; its colours are dim and dull, its 

 motions heavy, it dwells much on the surface of the water, 

 and is an easy and welcome prey to the eager fish. In this 

 form it is said to be semi-completa, or only a half complete 

 insect, and is termed the pseudimago, or false image : in the 

 May fly it is the green drake, and in the smaller species is the 

 dun of the angler. After a short time, however, the fly throws 

 off another complete casing, and emerges the perfect insect, 

 larger, brighter in colour, with tail greatly elongated, stronger 

 and far more active a perfect insect, the imago or image. 

 The green drake has now become the grey drake ; the last 

 offices of the insect's life are performed, it consummates its 

 existence, drops its eggs upon the water, to the number of many 

 hundreds, and dies. 



The Phryganidae go through much the same process, with 

 the notable exception that they spring from the pupa state 

 into the perfect fly or imago at once, not having to pass 

 through the pseudimago phase of existence. When the eggs 

 of the Phryganidae are hatched, they take the form of a little 

 soft grub, resembling a maggot in appearance, with a hard 

 horny head, and with six feet upon the future thorax. This 

 is the larva form, and as the skin is very tender and soft, and 

 susceptible of injury, it proceeds, by means of a kind of gluten 

 it possesses, to form for itself a dwelling, and attaches itself 



