THE MAYFLIES 97 



first winged state known as the green 

 drake. But it is only the female who 

 changes her clothes openly upon the river's 

 brim, unlacing her caddis corsets, and 

 arranging her "transformation" for all 

 the world to see. The male, on the other 

 hand, is something of a poltroon ; more- 

 over, he hates to get his feet wet, so 

 crawls up the nearest reed-stem on to the 

 bank, and then he hatches, after which he 

 seldom ventures over the water, but 

 hurries off inland as fast as he can flutter. 

 There, with swift and unerring instinct, 

 the lady seeks him out, willy-nilly he 

 must become the father of her children. 

 In point of fact, this is the serio-comedy 

 of " Man and Superman " as played 

 in Mayfly land. So is Mr. Bernard 

 Shaw vindicated even in the insect 

 world. 



After the brief honeymoon is passed, 

 the lady returns to the river-side. (We 

 hear no more of her luckless spouse. ) She 

 is now known as the grey drake, a buxom 

 dame with all the airs and assurance of a 

 wedded woman ; further, she is about to 

 become a mother. A few minutes more 



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