BY R. J. TH.LYARD. 237 



Restoration of the Fossil Wing. (Text-fig.2). 



It will be seen at once, from Text-fig. 1, that practically all the 

 essential parts of this wing have been preserved. This makes 

 the task of restoring it an easy one. Most of the wings of Holo- 

 metabolous insects so far found have been incomplete, or obscure, 

 as regards the venation of the basal part of the wing. Hence 

 it is a particular piece of good fortune that the posterior arculus 

 and its surroundings have been perfectly preserved in this fossil. 

 The only vein missing is the short 3A, with the jugal lobe lying 

 basad from it. In restoring this part, I have assumed a simple 

 3A, connected with 2A by a single cross-vein, in the same way 

 that 2 A is itself connected with 1A The jugal lobe has been 

 restored on the primitive plan, as in Ghorista, and I have omitted 

 the jugal bristles, since these are not known to be present out- 

 side the true Mecoptera. Mr. Mitchell hopes later on to make 

 another attempt to remove the rock covering this part of the 

 wing; but the risks attaching to such an attempt are so great, 

 that it is necessary to describe the fossil as it stands first of all, 

 in case of damage later on. 



In restoring the apical part of the wing, I have introduced no 

 more forkings to the branches of Rs than can already be seen 

 in the fossil, i.e., each vein has just been produced to the apical 

 margin. The spacings between them show that this is almost 

 certainly correct. In the case of R ls however, there is a wide 

 space to be filled up between Sc 2 and R 2 , so that I have intro- 

 duced a distal forking to this vein. The apex itself I have made 

 slightly pointed, as this type of wing is much more representative 

 of the older types of Trichoptera and Lepidoptera than is the 

 rounded wing, which predominates in the true Mecoptera. 

 Whether there were any extra apical cross-veins it is impossible 

 to say; but I think it very unlikely. The restored right fore- 

 wing is shown complete in Text-fig.2. 



Affinities of the Fossil. (Text-figs.3-8). 



In his recent work upon the Wings of Insects(l), Professor 

 Comstock rightly insists upon the importance of the presence of 

 the posterior arculus in the forewings of the more archaic Tri- 



