248 [SeptexMber 



larva belonging to the Dipterous genus Tabanus, I have shown that 

 the food is molluscous-animal, for it feeds upon aquatic snails. (^Proc. 

 B. S. K H., Feb. 1864, p. 302.) In the case of the European glow- 

 worms (Coleoptera) it is also molluscous-animal, for they feed upon 

 land-snails. (Westw. Litr. I. p. 250.) Again, it is said of Hymenop- 

 tera that " their food is either vegetable or articulate-animal, not verte- 

 brate-animal ; the animal food being thus the same in kind with the 

 material to be made of it, just as among Mammals the highest of 

 carnivorous species live on the flesh of Mammals, and only the lower 

 on fish and insects" (p. 16). But it is well known that in Europe the 

 common wasp, Vespa vulgaris Lin., habitually carries off butchers' 

 meat, (Westw. Iiitr. II. p. 216,) and consequently the food of this 

 genus, which is generally allowed to be one of the highest Hymenop- 

 tera, is partly vertebrate-animal. 



5. There is a little confusion in the text as to the " prematurative" 

 or '' permaturative" character of the Homopters and the Trichopters. 

 The Table (p. 15) correctly gives the first as " prematurative" and the 

 second as " permaturative"; but afterwards (p. 18) it is said of the 

 Amplipens that " those of the highest division are permaturative and 

 the rest are prematurative", whence it results that the Trichopters are 

 prematurative, which they certainly are not. Again, it is said of the 

 Attenuates (p. 20) that " the mouth, unlike that of the Lepidopters 

 and Homopters, but like that of most of their larves, is not suctorial 

 but mandibulate," whence it results that the Homopters are in the 

 larva state mandibulate ( ! ) and consequently must be prematurative, 

 as the imago is correctly said to be haustellate. 



6. The Perlideans are said to be like the Phryganeans in " living 

 in a sheath" in the larva state (p. 22). This erroneous statement 

 originated with Reaumur, and was copied by a host of closet-natural- 

 ists, but finally explained and corrected by Westwood. (^Litr. II. pp. 

 22-3.) I can add my testimony to Westwood's, having seen thousands 

 of the larvae of many different species of Perlina, crawling about naked 

 on the under surface of submerged stones. 



7. The Saltators are said to show that they are the typical Orthop- 

 ters "by the absence of any close likeness to other groups," (p. 25.) 

 But Westwood mentions several species belonging to the Cricket family, 

 " which singularly represent coleopterous insects." {Litr. I. p. 450.) 



