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THE STONE-FLIES. 
ANT-LION.— 
a and 
Slow of movement as is this creature, and yet predaceous, feeding wholly on living insects, 
the mode of obtaining its food seems to be rather a problem. The solution, however, is simple 
enough, the creature digging a pitfall, and lying 
ensconced therein while the expected prey 
approaches. 
The beautiful Nemoptera Coa belongs to an 
allied family of this order, and is remarkable 
through the curious development of the hinder 
pair of wings, a peculiarity which is repeated, 
though not on so extensive a scale, in many of 
the butterflies. 
Our accompanying full page engraving repre- 
sents the May-fly, or Ephemera, the best and 
most familiar type of the family to which it 
belon « s > and wMoh is scientifically called the 
Ephemeridse. 
This insect has long been celebrated for its short space of life, a single day sometimes 
witnessing its entrance into the perfect state and its final departure from the world. The 
popular idea concerning these insects is, that the whole of their life is restricted to a single 
day. This, however, is an error, as they have already passed at least two years in their 
preliminary stages of existence. In the larval and pupal states, they are inhabitants of the 
water, and are fond of hiding themselves under stones, or burrowing into the muddy banks 
Under the latter circumstances they make a very curious tunnel, something like a double- 
barrelled gun. It is said that the larva feeds upon mud, and, as a proof of this assertion, 
it may be mentioned that Swammerdam always found mud within those specimens which 
he dissected. I can personally vouch for the accuracy of his remarks, but would not like 
to assert that, although mud was always found in the stomach and intestines of those 
larvae which I have dissected, it might not have been swallowed with the food rather than 
composed it. 
The May-fly is peculiarly notable for a stage of development which seems to be quite 
unique among insects. When it has passed through its larval and pupal state, it leaves the 
water, creeps out of its pupa case, and takes to its wings. After a period, varying from one 
to twenty hours, it flies to some object, such as the trunk of a tree or the stems of water- 
plants, and casts off a thin membranous pellicle, which has enveloped the body and wings, 
the dry pellicle remaining in the same spot, and looking at first like a dead insect. After this 
operation, the wings become brighter, and the three filaments of the tail increase to twice their 
length. Some authors call the state between the leaving the water and the casting the pellicle 
the “pseudimago” state. 
Some of these insects are well known to fishermen under the names of green and gray 
drake, the former being the pseudimago, and the latter the perfect form of the insect, which 
is represented in the illustration. Sometimes these insects occur in countless myriads, 
looking like a heavy fall of snow as they are blown by the breeze, and having on some 
occasions been so plentiful, that they have been gathered into heaps and carted off to the fields 
for manure. 
The Perlidse, known to anglers by the name of Stone-flies, belong to the Neuroptera. 
Several species of the same family are popularly called Yellow Sally and Willow-fly. They 
may be known by the large folded front pair of wings, and the two bristle-like appendages at 
the tail. 
