THE SEMBLIDM. 365, 



and galleries amongst the decaying vegetation upon which they 

 feed. They undergo complete metamorphoses, and the nymph 

 remains in one of the underground passages. The engraving 

 represents a female imago of Paiiorpa comimmis laying her eggs 

 in a hole she has made with her ovipositor. The perfect insects 

 are flying over head, and the larvae and a nymph are in their 

 galleries. 



There are some other Neuroptera that undergo complete 

 metamorphoses — the ScmblidoB. The perfect insects of the genus 

 Setnblis have wings with only a few transverse nervures ; their 

 prothorax is rather long, and their antennae are thread-like. The 

 wings are of a dusky colour, and the mandibles are very short. 

 The perfect insect may often be seen on the borders of ponds 

 and marshes, and it lays its eggs on the tissues of plants. The 

 larvae go down into the water, and spend their time in chasing 

 other water insects, or in hiding up in the mud. They have 

 respiratory membranes joined on to the sides of the body in the 

 form of gills. 



When the larvae have attained their full growth they proceed to 

 act differently to those of the other Neuroptera, for they come out 

 of the water when their time for metamorphosis is at hand, and 

 make a hole in the damp earth, within which they are transformed 

 into nymphs. 



The last division of the Neuroptera is often separated from the 

 others in a distinct family, for its genera have their wings very 

 peculiarly marked and constructed. The Caddis Flies, or Phry- 

 e'anidcB, undergo complete metamorphoses, and present some 

 resemblance to the Lepidoptera. Their wings have no cross 

 reticulations, and are peculiarised by the presence of small hairs, 

 which are stuck on after the manner of the scales in the butter- 

 fly's wing. The mouth is useless, and its structures are soft and 

 impervious. The antennas are thick, long, and pointed. The 

 caddis flies are numerous in species in temperate climates, and 

 they are usually greyish-brown or yellowish in colour. The adults 

 fly in the evening in the marshes and by the side of rivers, 

 streams, and brooks. The females deposit their eggs in the 

 water, and envelop them in a glutinous mass, so that the bunches 

 stick to stones or aquatic plants. 



