THE AT AX HISTRIONICUS^ 437 



mothers associate together very famiHarly upon the smooth leaves 

 of the water plants. The eggs are red, ovoid in shape, and are 

 in myriads ; they are placed side by side, and arc covered over 

 with a mucous secretion, which protects them. It is not unusual 

 to see one female after another choose the same spot for egg- 

 laying, and to observe the number of egg-layers increasing hour 

 after hour, so that a thick crust is formed at last on the plant. 

 After a fortnight the young larvae are hatched ; they are exces- 

 sively small, and are of a brilliant red colour. They are hairy, 

 and have six long legs, terminating in claws. These larvae swim 

 with great rapidity, and often seek the surface of the water, and 

 allow themselves to become dry ; then they run over the pond as 

 quickly as if it were a solid surface. It is very probable that 

 these six-legged larvae live as parasites upon the larvae and nymphs 

 of dragon flies. May flies, and gnats ; and it is by no means 

 certain that the adults of these flying insects are not attacked 

 also. M. Duges believes that a second metamorphosis takes 

 place during the adult stage, as in the genus noticed above. 



Some of the water mites do not swim, but are able to fix 

 themselves on to other insects, and to crawl. Limnocharis 

 aqiiaticHs is one of them ; and it may be recognised in the adult 

 state by its irregularly oval body, which is rather conical in 

 front, very soft and capable of being altered in shape sponta- 

 neously. The skin is reddish in colour, and the tints are brightest 

 when the insect is young. There are no hairs, except on the 

 legs, where they are not very commonly seen ; the eyes are 

 large, close together, triangular in shape, and of a deep red 

 colour, and they appear to be fixed on to a special scale-like 

 piece of the body. The claws of the legs are large, retractile, 

 and are made to hold on with, and not for swimming. 



The eggs are laid on the mud at the bottom of ponds, and 

 look like a whitish incrustation tinted with red ; and small red 

 larvae, with six long legs, oval bodies, and snout-like heads, come 

 forth from them. These larvae run upon the surface of the water, 

 or swim in the midst of it ; but they soon give up that sort of 

 life, and select a host to be parasitic upon. Gcrris lacustris is 

 their favourite insect. It is one of the Hemiptera, and lives on 

 the surface of stagnant waters, skimming over them with great 



