ENEMIES OF APHIDES. 261 



rior extremities. At this time the limbs are well developed, and 

 the reddish colour of the young larva is distinctly visible through 

 the shell. 



The markings become more pronounced, and a few hours later 

 — usually in the early morning — the eggs split at their apices in a 

 direction parallel to their axis, and the larvae gradually twist them- 

 selves out. They frequently remain seated for a time on the top 

 of the empty eggs, and then creep away to hide themselves for a 

 short time under any neighbouring leaves, after which they com- 

 mence to attack any aphides that may be at hand. Occasion- 

 ally, as has been said, at this stage they will pierce and suck 

 out the contents of the eggs of any other insects which they 

 happen to meet with ; but it would seem that this generally 

 happens in the absence of a plentiful supply of x\phides, which 

 appear to be their most congenial food. 



During the autumn of 1894, I bred from the eggs of Chrysopa 

 a number of larvae, which in due time pupated, and in this present 

 spring should produce the perfect flies. My notes of the progress 

 of one of the hatches may be of interest, and I transcribe them. 



August j()th, i^g^. —ffemerobmicB. — Under an oak tree about 

 half-a-mile from Midsomer Norton Church, Somersetshire, I took 

 to-day a fine specimen of Chrysopa perla, which proved to be a 

 female which had or was about to oviposit. On examination of 

 the branch of the oak from which the fly emerged, I discovered a 

 group of nine stalked eggs recently laid, and the leaf with the 

 eggs was removed, and placed in a suitable breeding glass. 



August 2^th. — These eggs, which were at first of a beautiful, 

 translucent green colour, when viewed with a magnifier, became now 

 white and opaque, and on careful examination showed a dark red- 

 brown spot near the upper end, and a series of somewhat rectan- 

 gular spots, in pairs, evidently indicating the segments of the 

 embryo, down one side. 



August 2gt/i. — Four or five larvae hatched between six and 

 seven a.m.; length (extreme), as nearly as I could ascertain, i/ioth 

 of an inch. The eggs were each ruptured in the neighbourhood 

 of the microphyle, and more or less slit down the sides. The 

 colour of the young was greyish black. At i p.m. a larva, sepa- 

 rated in a glass box, attacked and ate a winged aphis (Ca//ipterus 



