o him by the ragged stump having been sawn short off, there was
no trace of the feat he had performed in rushing at the gate.

There was so much to see at the farm that Mr Inglis had a hard matter
to get away; besides which, the farmer and his dame were very anxious
that they should all stay to tea, and the lads had not the slightest
objection; but Mr Inglis said, when they came out for a specified
purpose they ought no to turn aside from it, and now; as they had paid
their visit to the farm, as previously arranged, they ought to return to
their collecting, for the moths would now be coming out fast.

At last they were off, and this time took their way across the meadows
by the river side, so as to get to the wood again a couple of miles
nearer home, Mr Inglis considering that several pleasing objects of
natural history might here be collected.

They had not gone far before he called the attention of the boys to the
Ephemene or Mayflies dancing up and down in their beautiful light over
the banks of the stream. Beautiful little objects they seemed, with
their spotted wings and three tails, as straight up they flew rapidly
for five or six feet, and then, spreading out wings and tails, allowed
themselves, without effort, but with evenly balanced bodies, to sink
down again, presenting a beautiful appearance as the fast descending sun
shone sideways upon them.

Fred could have stopped for half an hour watching these Mayflies, but
time was flying as well, and they had to get home to tea; but two or
three fine specimens were captured by Mr Inglis and put safely in as
many pill-boxes, and during their stay as many more were snapped up by
the fish in the river. Then on the party went again towards the wood,
capturing insect treasures as they passed through the pleasant green
meadows and by hedge-rows, all now of a bright golden green with the
rays of the sinking sun. Now it was a great stag-beetle that was
caught--a great horny-headed and horny-bodied fellow, so strong that he
could force his way out of a closed hand by sheer pushing, like his
friend the cockchafer, who now began to whirr and drone about under the
shady boughs of the trees, but who would not come near enough to be
captured, till at last one of them came bump up against Mr Inglis's
hat, in its headlong flight, when Fred picked it out of the grass where
it had fallen, and was astonished at the slow but strenuous efforts the
insect made to escape.

As they