TIE INTELLECTUAL OBSERVER. 



OCTOBER, 1864. 



EPHEMERA, THE MA.T-ELT. 



BY THE EET. W. HOUGHTON, M.A., F.L.S. 

 {With Two Plates.) 



Let us fancy ourselves on the banks of a trout-stream about 

 the end of May or the beginning of June, for it is too late in 

 the year, now that October leaves are beginning to fall, to look 

 for any species of the May-fly family, unless, perhaps, one may 

 discover some small members of the group, such as the little 

 Blue and Pale Dans, Baetis and Cloe, which love to dance in 

 the sunny days of a calm autumn. 



What a lovely morning for a day's fly-fishing ! I'll be 

 bound the greea-drake will be on the water in the course of 

 the day, so let us start at once, with rod and basket in hand, 

 and let us not forget a few collecting' bottles, and a net — uot 

 for the fish, but for the May-flies ; for angler-naturalists, you 

 may be sure, never set out on a fishing expedition without 

 collecting bottles and gauze nets. 



" Our art can tell the insect tribe that every month doth bring, 

 And with a curious wile we know to mock its gauzy wing ; 

 We know what breeze will bid the troit through the curling watei'3 leap,^ 

 And we can surely win him from shallow or from deep ; 

 For every cunning fish can we a cunning bait provide, 

 In the sport, that we court, by the gentle river tide."*- 



Well, it is disappointing certainly, wind in the south-west, 

 sun nicely overcast, green-drake coming out, bat, alas ! the 

 water is as shallow as can be. No sport at present, that is 

 certain. The miller has pounded up the water three miles up 

 stream, and till old Flour-dust begins to griad it is useless 

 whipping an almost empty river. Perhaps if we wait quietly 

 a couple of hours the water will come down, and we may yet 

 kill a good basket of fish; so let us console ourselves with a 

 pipe of tobacco, and occupy our time with observing the May- 



* New Sporting Magazine, t. 20. 

 VOL. VI. — NO. HI. L 



