LACE WINGS. 83 



with in the Western districts of New South Wales, 

 and also around Sydney, and the young student, on 

 account of its broad, prettily marked wings is in- 

 clined to think it a moth. The lace wings may be 

 looked upon as among the best insect friends that 

 the orchardist and the man on the land possess. 



Observations on a Lace Wing Larva. 



We placed a larva of a lace wing in a box with 

 leaves and shoots on which were numerous aphides, 

 and had an interesting experience watching its 

 method of seizing its victims, demolishing them, 

 and hoisting many of the skins on its back. 



Next day we placed the larva in a box with leaves 

 on which were aphides. After devouring them all, 

 it wandered round the box. On some of the leaves 

 were patches of white floccose material left by the 

 larvae of a little brown fulgorid insect (Order 

 Hemiptera). The larva of the lace wing was very 

 active, and probably hungry; it roamed round the 

 box and at last sighted the white patch of fulgorid- 

 threads. We were much amused at its antics. It 

 at once set to work on this cottony-looking material, 

 pulling it out with its long arm-like jaws, and then 

 curving its body round in a semi-circle, its rather 

 long legs — at least the two hind pairs — fully ex- 

 tended, as it stretched its head right upwards to 

 push in the white floccose material among the aphid 

 skins on its back. (Plate 12, Fig. 6.) 



vSeen through the lens as it Avas thus working, it 

 looked at times like a performer at a circus, with 

 its high light load of aphid skins, its head stretched 



