74 THE BROOK BOOK 



bites (no great matter which) inflicted by these 

 dreaded creatures ! 



The truth of the matter is that no May-fly ever 

 stung or bit anything. Each one is possessed of 

 two or more extremely long appendages on the 

 hinder part of the body. These are useful to the 

 owners, but not as weapons of defense. As for 

 biting, nothing is more impossible. 



This fragile creature is not framed by nature to 

 survive for long the dangers of an aerial existence. 

 Its trembling, gauzy wings, its ghost-like body, its 

 timid behavior, — all suggest its brief sojourn among 

 us. Its life is short, we know not how short. Let 

 poets sing its praises, enjoy its iridescent wings 

 and ephemeral existence. For once they are in 

 the right of it. Since it lives but a day, "or two 

 or three at most," nature has not deemed food 

 essential, and provides the winged insect with but 

 rudimentary mouth-parts. 



But the May-fly has its time of feasting. It has 

 an existence that the poet wots not of, extending 

 over months and possibly years. The May-fly 

 nymph eats, drinks and is exceeding merry with 

 the laughing brook and the water bugs, just as 

 if it had a premonition of its mouthless future. 



The young of May-flies, like those of dragon- 

 flies and others, dwell in the water, usually pre- 

 ferring rather rapid streams. They feed upon 

 smaller animals and delicate plants, with which the 

 water abounds, and cast their frail nymph-skins 

 in very much the same fashion as the young 

 dragon-flies. They do not closely resemble any 



