120 STUDY OF 



will be remembered, that its wings are always 

 vertical when at rest. 



Again, whenever the larva of an insect travels 

 about in the water, in search of food, unpro- 

 tected by a pipe or case, it will, I believe, be 

 found to have the femur and tibia of some of its 

 legs, flat and fin-Uke, for the purpose of swim- 

 ming or diving. 



Where the nidus of an insect is its proper food 

 in a larva state, as is the case with the musca 

 vomitoria or blue bottle, and many other land- 

 bred insects, w^hich deposit their eggs in sterco- 

 raceous matter, such larvae will, most probably, 

 be found without feet or walking processes of 

 any kind, and to have annular motion only. 

 And, pursuing the analogy still further, it will 

 be matter of curiosity to ascertain whether any, 

 or what number of, water-bred insects are depo- 

 sited in cells, and fed by their parents after the 

 manner of the social insects apidse, vespidae, &c. 

 on land, and, therefore, need not legs in a larva 

 state. 



The division into land and water-insects, whilst 

 it would shew the comparatively little attention 

 which, in this country at least, has been paid to 

 the latter division, might render important services 



