290 THE DRY-FLY MAN'S HANDBOOK 



but it is only an occasional specimen on the wild or 

 windy day which is so blown nolens volens on to the 

 stream. 



The female alder when ready to oviposit selects a 



flat sedge or rush generally 

 Life history. overhanging or close to the 



edge of the stream. She 

 commences methodically from one side to deposit her 

 eggs singly touching one another in a convex line, the 



Fio. 57. Cluster of Alder Eggs x 15 



Fig. 58. Alder Eggs x 30 



convex side uppermost. If by chance she misses a 

 space she will later deposit an Q^<g out of the usual 

 course to fill up the gap. She always works back- 

 wards, crawling over the eggs already deposited and 

 covering them throughout with the wings laid flat in 

 pent-house shape. The eggs in a cluster as laid are 

 shown in Fig. 57, and in Fig. 58 single eggs are 

 shown to a larger magnification. They are of long 

 ovoid shape, and each with a small projection or stem on 

 top, and are arranged in a series of rows on the sedge 

 or rank grass, each female laying about 2000 to 3000. 



