THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. ' 22 



o 



Habits. 



We know only of one single instance in which the winged females of 

 E. Maiiritanica were found gregarious. The absence of males among 

 them is not without example ; among Psocina I have observed at least in 

 three species a very large number close together, all being females. In 

 one flock I secured among hundreds of females, by very careful examina- 

 tion, only one male. I believe the same fact has been recorded of some 

 Hemiptera. 



Another isolated observation exists of larvae, and this time all males, 

 being found gregarious on a sandy place among old bricks, by Wood-Mason. 

 Many observers state that E. Solieri, discovered in many localities in 

 southern France and Spain, and by no means rare, lives always isolated. 

 The same is recorded of O. nigra by Prof. Schaum. 



Mr. Lucas was first to observe that the Embidae imago and larva spin 

 silken tunnels. It is doubtless true that the spinning is done with the 

 mouth, as by Psocina (though this has never been observed or stated), as 

 the spinnerets open on the labium. Probably these tunnels induced Mr. 

 Lucas to assume that the Embidina are carnivorous, and to put insects 

 for food in his boxes, but he has not stated that the food was used. The 

 observation by Mr. Michael seems to prove that these insects are phyto- 

 phagous. Perhaps they are both ; at least I may remark that for Gryllo- 

 talpa the same uncertainty still exists. 



Every one asserts that all Embidina are very agile in running and fly- 

 ing. It will be agreed that our actual knowledge concerning their habits 

 is no more satisfactory than that concerning their forms and stages. 



Distribution. 



There is httle more known than has been given by McLachlan, 1. c. 

 p. 379. The amber species belonging to the tertiary layers is very rare 

 among amber insects. Compared with Termitina in amber, perhaps one 

 Embia is found for one hundred of the former. The fossil species differs 

 in nothing from the living ones. Whether the species in copal are fossil 

 or not, is still an open question. There are many copal insects which 

 seem to be or are identical with living forms. But large quantities of 

 copal, principally near the coast of East Africa, are dug out of sand or 

 earth, just as amber, and in localities where no copal trees are now to be 

 found. (J. Kirk, Journal Linn. Soc, June, 1868) : "At the diggings are 



