206 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



the wings are broad, the second pair much smaller than the first, 

 both having raised nervures ; the prothorax is very short. 



Atropos divinatorius is the little wingless louse-like insect always 

 running over the leaves of books, and about dusty places, and they 

 feed on cabinet specimens, sometimes doing considerable injury. 

 These little soft insects should be gummed on pieces of cards, or 

 put into alcohol ; while the winged species can be pinned with 

 small pins. 



Phryganeidae. (Caddice-flies, Case-worms.) The imago has a 

 rounded body, with moderately broad, parallel veined wings, which 

 are folded on the sides of the body, and the head is provided with 

 long antennae and palpi. Both larvae and pupae are active. The 

 smaller species are often hardly distinguishable from many small 

 moths. The female lay their eggs in gelatinous masses on aquatic 

 plants, above or beneath the surface of the water. The larvae are 

 found abundantly in the bottom of ponds, in cylindrical cases of 

 grass or stems of reeds, or bits of sticks, sand, minute shells, &c. 

 They assume different forms, sometimes a long, conical shape, or 

 imitating snail shells. The larva lines the interior with silk, and 

 by bristles on the side of the body and a pair of anal hooks keeps 

 its body adhering to the sides of the case while it drags it over the 

 bottom. They eat large quantities of minute water fleas (entomos- 

 traca) and small insects, while many are herbivorous, the larger 

 ones eating whole leaves that have been submerged, while the 

 smaller ones leave the veins entire. When about to change to 

 pupae, the larva closes up the mouth of its case with a net-work 

 like a grate for the passage of the water for respiration. When 

 about to leave the pupa state they crawl up stems of plants, or 

 the smaller species use their light cases as rafts to rest upon as 

 their wings are drying. 



Neuronia semifasciala, (Fig. 28,) is Fig- 28. 



our largest species, and is taken away 

 from damp places ; but the smaller 

 species are only taken on leaves of 

 bushes and herbage by streams and 

 ponds. They run swiftly, but fly with 

 some dif^culty. The species are nu- 

 merous. They should be pinned as moths, and their wings set 

 carefully. 



Perlidae. Long, flat neuroptera, whose hind wings are largest, 



