THE society's NOTE-BOOKS. 245 



Labidostomma luteiim (Plate 42, Figs. 6, 7).— This mite is 

 new, not only to Britain, but to the scientific world, having 

 escaped even the lynx-eyed Koch. It was first described by 

 Kramer in " Archiv. fiir Naturgeschichte," 1879, and, so far as I 

 know, has only been found in England by Mr. Michael, F.L.S., 

 and myself. Kramer made a new genus of it under the name 

 Labidostomma. I might write a long description, for it is very 

 peculiar in many respects. When alive, it walks like a Gamasiis, 

 using the first pair of legs as feelers ; but it will be noticed that 

 these legs, instead of being long and thin, are long and thicker 

 than the other legs. It also possesses very curious and immense 

 chelate mandibles, but these are not extensile, as in Gamasiis; 

 and it has on the shoulders two convex prominences, very 

 much like eyes. It is covered on its surface with very beautiful 

 reticulations, the raised edges of which are themselves also 

 minutely marked. To see it to perfection it must be alive, for it has 

 four very fine, curiously branched, pale yellow tactile hairs, which 

 cannot be seen after mounting, but which are very easily found 

 in the living creature. Indeed, two or three very beautiful slides 

 may be made out of its parts when dissected, the chelate man- 

 Fig. 27. dibles in particular, the immoveable claw being 

 furnished with a curious notch near the end, into 

 which the moveable one catches (PI. 42, Fig. 7). 

 The fore-legs are furnished with a pair of claws, 

 but the other legs have a tridactyl tarsus, with the 

 centre claw much larger than the two others, as 

 in Fig. 27. This cannot be well seen in the mount- 

 ed specimen. The genital plates are also very 

 curious, as will be seen by the drawing in PI. 42, 

 Fig. 6. 



C. F. George. 



Earwig, Forficula auricularia.— The class Insecta has three 

 sections, viz. : — 



I. — Ametabola, which undergo no metamorphosis. 



2. — Hemimetabola, which undergo an incomplete change. 



3. — Holometabola, which undergo a complete change. 



The Larva of the Hemimetabola is nearly similar to the 

 imago. The Pupa is not quiescent, and has only rudiments of 

 wings. The Lmago has perfect wings. The Hemimetabola form 

 three orders, viz. : — i. — Hemiptera. 2.— Orthoptera, 3. — Neu- 

 roptera. The Orthoptera are characterised by having — 



i.—'W^^ posterior wings, folded in radiating lines like a fan. 



T 



