408 



FISH-KILLERS. 

 FAMILY BELOSTOMIDiE. 



Tliese are giant bugs, and are the largest hemip- 

 teroiis insects, measuring as mucli as four inches 

 in length. They have strong flight, and we have 

 captured specimens flying round lamp-posts 

 or electric light in Sydney. The tip of the abdomen 

 ends in a spine. The front seizing legs are very 

 strong, and the beak is the typical short and strong 

 type of predaceous bugs. They are found chiefly 

 in the Northern Rivers districts of New South 

 Wales. 



LICE. 

 ORDER ANOPLURA. 



(Sucking Lice.) 



Tlie exact position of tliese creatures in relation 

 to the Hemiptera is doubtful. Some writers put 

 them in a separate order, Anoplura, whilst others 

 regard them as a degenerate type of bug. They 

 are small insects, with pear-shaped bodies. The head 

 bears a pair of eyes and a sucking apparatus; they 

 have six legs and are wingless. Most domestic 

 animals, as well as many birds, are infested with 

 a distinct species of this insect. Metamorphosis 

 if, incomplete. 



These insects should not be confused with the 

 biting lice, Mallophaga, equally common on birds 

 and on mammals. These biting lice are degenerate 

 Neuropterid insects. 



