Curious Insect

It ia in August tbat the naturalista observe the ruarvelous inseot which is bom, reproduces and dies in the period of a single night, on the banks of the Mame, of the Seine, and of the Bhine. It is the ephernere of which Sirammerdam has written and which is spoken of in Aristotle. The life of this insect does not last beyond tour or flve honrs. It dies toward II o'clock in the evening, after taking the form of a butterfly about six hours after inidiay. It is true, however, that befoie 'caking this form it has lived three years in that of a worm, which keeps always near the border of water iu the holes which it makes in the mud. The change of this worm in the water to an ephemere which flies is so sudden that one bas not the time to see it. If one takes the worm in the water, the hand cannot be taken away before the change is made unless by pressing the worm slightly in the región of the chest. By this means it can be takeu from the water before the change takes place. The ephemere, after leaving the water, seeks a place where it can divest itself of a fine membrane or veil, which eutirely covers it. This second change takes place in the air. The ephemere assists itself with the point of its little nails as firmly as it can. It makes a moveraent similar to that of a shiver, then the skin on the middle of the back breaks apart, the wings slip out of their sheath, as we sometiines take off our gloves by turning thetu inside out. After this strippiug the ephemere begins to fly. Sometimes it holds itself straight up on the surface of the water on the end of its tail, flapping its wings one against the other. It takes no nourishmeut in the five or six hours which are the limit of its life. It seems to have been formed but to multiply, for it does not leave its state of a worm until it is ready to deposit its eggs, and it dies as soon as they are deposited. In three days' time one sees appear and die all species of ephemeres. They last sometimes until the fifth day, for the reason that some malady has affected some of thein and prevenís them from cbauging at the same time as the others. -