LIFE IN FLORIDA. 221 



eny under water. Towards evening they rise almost in 

 a body, and apparently alight upon the river. When 

 the water is still and low, the ends of the leaves of the 

 Valisneria stand above it in many places. A fly alights 

 upon a leaf, and fastens thereto the end of a webby, 

 mucilaginous thread. At the other end of the thread — 

 sometimes several inches in length — is a little jelly-like 

 mass, about as large as a good-sized pea, which floats in 

 the water and contains the eggs ; when they hatch, the 

 little creatures feed on the jelly for a day or two, then 

 attach themselves to the leaves and make cocoons, where 

 they live until they are ready to emerge as flies. Some- 

 times a leaf is heavy with the combined weight of these 

 larvae. 



