"PODURA. PODURA. 
f " 
Generic Character, 
Pedes sex, cursorii. 
Oculi duo, compositi ex 
octonis. 
Cauda bifurca, saltatrix, in- 
flexa. 
Antenna setaceee, elonga- 
tae. 
Legs six, formed for run- 
ninor. 
O 
Ei/es two, composed of 
eight. 
Tail forked, formed for 
leaping, inflected. 
Antenna setaceous, elong- 
ated . 
Xhe Poduras are small insects which, in gene- 
ral, are found in damp places, under stones, on 
the bark of trees, &c. When disturbed, they 
suddenly spring to a small distance by the help of 
a long, forked process, which is doubled under 
the abdomen, and which is suddenly thrown out 
during the act of leaping. 
One of the most common of this genus is the 
Podura aquatica of Linnasus, measuring scarcely 
the twelfth part of an inch in length, and entirely 
of a black colour. This is a gregarious species, 
and is occasionally seen assembled in vast num- 
bers, particularly near the brinks of ponds, co- 
vering the ground to the distance of several feet, 
and sometimes even the surface of the water itself. 
