594 NEUROPTERA. 



busliy false gills, and the body ends in long feathered anal 

 hairs. They live, it is stated, two or three years, and reside 

 in burrows in the mud, under stones, or among grass and 

 weeds, where they may be taken with the water-net in great 

 abundance, and are beautiful objects for the aquarium. Lub- 

 bock states that Chloeon passes through twenty-one moultiugs 

 of the skin before it assumes the imago state ; the pupa} are 

 active and have, as a general rule, the rudiments of wings. 

 After leaving the pupa skin the insect (subimago), when its 

 wings are expanded, takes a short flight, and then casts an- 

 other skin before reaching the final imago state. They often 

 fly in immense numbers, and become stranded in winrows 

 along the borders of lakes. The perfect insects should be 

 preserved in alcohol for study, as they shrivel up when pinned. 

 They should lie described when alive if possible. 



The genus Ephemera of Linnaeus has three long and equal 

 i-andal setae ; the fore wings are present, with very numerous 

 transverse veins, while the eyes are remote, and in the males 

 simple. Ephemera decora Walker is luteous, with the end of 

 the antenna} black and a reddish band 011 the side of the body. 



The remains of a gigantic form described by Mr. Scudder 

 under the name of Platephemera antiqua (Plate 1, fig. 3) has 

 lu'i'ii discovered by Mr. C. F. Hartt in the Devonian formation 

 of New Brunswick. Another fossil wing, Haplophlebiwm 

 I'mntrxH. (Plate 1, fig. <S), accompanying the preceding, has 

 been doubtfully referred to the May- flies by Mr. Scudder. It 

 indicates a very large species. Mr. Scudder also figures, in 

 the Paleontology of the Illinois Geological Surve}-, certain fos- 

 sils from lower Carboniferous strata, which "appear to be the 

 wings of insects, and, being probably more nearly allied (p. 

 571) to the Ephemeridm than to other Neuroptera, should 

 lie grouped under the generic name Ephemerites." 



In 1 \ilhiijcnia there are three caudal seta 1 , the middle one 

 being short, and sometimes almost absent in the males. There 

 are four wings with very numerous transverse veins, and the 

 eyes are remote and simple. P. bilineata Say is a common 

 ^pccies and one of the largest of the family ; it is found floating 

 on the surface of lakes. It is greenish yellow, with a reddish 

 stripe on the side of the prothorax. The genus Ihii'ti* has but 



