. Animal Life and the World of Nature; A magazine of Natural History. han in their own native haunts. [—Photographs intended for these columns should be addres-cJto The Editor, Animal Life, 34, Paternoster Row, ^tJ^, NOTES AND COMMENTS. Mr. John J. Ward, of Coventry, has sent for The final publication a photograph of emergence of the Mayfly after its emergence e ay y- f]^.om the suhimago skin, which may be seen left behind on the grass blade. Mr. Ward writes:— After spending two or three years atthe muddy bottom of the river, the mayflynymph prepares for its brief and finalwinged sta
. Animal Life and the World of Nature; A magazine of Natural History. han in their own native haunts. [—Photographs intended for these columns should be addres-cJto The Editor, Animal Life, 34, Paternoster Row, ^tJ^, NOTES AND COMMENTS. Mr. John J. Ward, of Coventry, has sent for The final publication a photograph of emergence of the Mayfly after its emergence e ay y- f]^.om the suhimago skin, which may be seen left behind on the grass blade. Mr. Ward writes:— After spending two or three years atthe muddy bottom of the river, the mayflynymph prepares for its brief and finalwinged state. When all things are per-fected the nymph floats to the surface ofthe water, and almost before we are awareof what is taking place a mayfly appears andrising on its. nymph skin flies to the nearestriverside plant. But this is not the perfect mayfly—onlyan intermediate or suhimago stage, for theinsect has yet to make another emergencebefore it completes its metamorphosis. Butlet us examine the mayfly at this stage inits life-cycle. First we observe that the. THE MAYFLY. (Natural size.) From a photoj^rapli taken immediately after its emergencefrom the suhimago skin. insect is of a dingy hue or grey colour, nota spark of the brilliant and varnished-likesurface of the wings and body of the per-fect mayfly as it flashes in the eveningsunlight. Secondly, its forelegs seem tooshort; and its caudal setm or tail filamentsseem blunt and shortened; even its wings arecramped and small. But we must wait awhile, our insect isresting from the great efforts of its recentemergence. After a time, which varies verymuch in individual insects, a little tremblingsensation seems to take possession of themayfly, and then a most beairtiful and mar-vellous emergence and transformation maybe witnessed. The skin at the back of the head splits,and slowly the head and forelegs of theperfect insect appear through the brokenintegument, and, remarkable to observe, theforelegs have nearly doubled their
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