The stone flies are harmless little people, and we should never kill one
needlessly.

[Illustration]




THE SILVER FISH


May has something here for us to look at. She says it is a slippery
rascal. Let us see it. Oh, yes, you have it in that little box. See, the
box has a glass top. May cut the top off the box herself, and fastened
in a little pane of glass so we could see the rascal without danger of
its escaping.

[Illustration]

Pretty rascal! Like a little silver fish slipping about the box.

Yes, Charlie, it is called the silver fish. A land fish? Why, yes, it
would be a land fish if it were a fish at all. But in spite of its name
it is no fish. It is covered with shining scales, though, that are very
much like fish scales, and it is shaped a good deal like a fish.

Oh, yes, it is an insect. You see it has six legs. But it has no wings.

No, it is not a young one.