CIIIKONOMID.i:. 23 



with not less than six nor nion^ tlum Hftei^n joints ; in tlie 

 male usually with a long dense }iluniositj ; in the female with 

 inconspicuous hairs and sometimes with a smaller nvimher of 

 joints ; the first joint short and thick. Eyes reniform or oval ; 

 ocelli wanting or rudimentary; proljoscis short; paljii four- 

 jointed ; the last usually elongated. Thorax ovate, very con- 

 vex, usually projecting al)ove in front more or less over the 

 head; without transverse suture; scutellum small, hemis])lier- 

 ical. Abdomen usually narrow and long, composed of eight 

 segments ; hypopygium ])r()jpcting forcep-like ; ovipositor very 

 short, but little developed ; legs usually slender and long ; 

 especially the front pair; coxie of moderate length. Tarsi often 

 much elongated. Wings narrow and long; bare or uniformly 

 hairy ; anterior veins stronger and darker colored than the 

 others ; auxiliary vein com^dete, but usually weak and slender; 

 second longitudinal vein usually wanting ; third vein some- 

 times forked close to its origin, the upper branch often rectan- 

 gular and having the appearance of a supernumerary cross- 

 vein ; fourth vein sometimes, the fifth usually, furcate ; })Oste- 

 rior cross- vein often wanting; the costal vein terminates near 

 the tip of the wing at the termination of the third vein. 



This family comprises a large number of very delicate, often 

 minute flies, which have not been much studied by enton^olo- 

 gists ; about one thousand species are known throughout tlie 

 world. They will be distinguished from the mosquitoes, wliich 

 they resemble very much, by the costal vein not being contin- 

 uous on the posterior side of the wing. The antenna} are 

 conspicuous, especially in the males, althougli agreeing in this 

 respect with male mosquitoes. The larva; are soft-skinned, 

 worm-like, often blood-red in color and usually acpiatic, as are 

 also the active pupa^, though some live in d(M'om])Osing veg- 

 etable matter, or in the earth. These midges are often seen, 

 especially in the early sj)ring or in the autumn, in immense 

 swarms, dancing in the air, and liave doubtless in many cases 

 given rise to exaggerated stories ol' mnsipiitoes. ()verniea(l- 



