John has been fishing.

What do you think he caught?

Nary fish, my dears, but a goodly number of stone flies, which he has
brought to show us.

Yes, Mollie, they do remind us a very little of our May flies, only, of
course, they are many times larger.

It is rather a clumsy creature in spite of its large wings, and John
says he had no trouble whatever in catching it.

See, it has four wings, and the hind ones are the larger.

Yes, May, they fold up in plaits, like the sticks of a fan.

See its long antennæ and its compound eyes. Its eyes are not so large as
are those of the dragon fly. It does not spend its time pursuing other
insects, but is more like the May fly after it gets its wings.

Yes, Ned, it lives longer than the May fly, but it does not live very
long, and it eats little.

It is a pretty little gray thing as it rests on the side of John's box,
with its wings folded like a gossamer cloak over its body.

[Illustration]