314 



Marvels of Insect Life. 



the outward passage of a flesh}' sucker which is moist and sticky, and enables the 

 Insect to attach itself to any small object it is walking over. Almost at the 

 extremitv' of the hind-body and extending up to or very near to the legs, there 

 is a long forked process bent on the under surface of the body, and fastened by 

 a sort of catch when not in use. When occasion requires this can be suddenly 

 extended, with the result that the Insect is thrown into the air. The sticky sucker 

 probably has its use in steadying the Insect when alighting from one of these leaps. 

 The spring-tails, though exceedingly plentiful on moist soil where there is 

 decaying vegetation, are too small to have received more than passing attention 

 from most Nature-students. In consequence, very little is known about them. 

 Fortv years ago. Sir John Lubbock (afterwards Lord Avebury) wrote a book upon 

 them, in which he told all that was known about them at that date, and very little 

 has been added to our knowledge of the group since. Beyond the expressive name 

 spring-tail applied indiscriminatelv to all the species, there are only Latin names 



to distinguish them, which — helpful 

 as these are to the scientific student — 

 always serve to hinder the layman in 

 acquiring knowledge. An attempt 

 may be made to indicate a few of them 

 by invented names that will agree 

 sufficiently with the Latin ones. 



The brown sm\'nthurus is a 

 common species and the largest of its 

 genus, though this is not saying much 

 for size, seeing that it measures less 

 than a tenth of an inch. It is com- 

 mon under loose bark on old stumps, 

 where it appears to feed upon fungus 

 threads. It often has numbers of a 

 minute mite clinging to its under side. 

 The green smynthurus, another com- 

 mon species, is only one-twelfth of an 

 inch, and has green eyes surrounded by black, and long antennce. The yellow 

 smynthurus also has its eyes surrounded by black, and the tips of its antennae are 

 coloured violet. 



The girdled orchesella is about a quarter of an inch long, the body mottled 

 with yellow and black in variable proportions, and a girdle of black across the hind- 

 body. It has no scales, but is distinctly hairy. 1 1 is found among moss and decaying 

 leaves. An allied species, the hairy orchesella, is very similar in its mottling of 

 yellow and black, but is without the black girdle. 



The bent-necked Icpidocyrtus, viewed from the side, has a very (pi;iint ajipear- 

 ance. The fore-part of the trunk is elevated and ])rojecting. whilst the head is 

 depressed. Its scales are metallic-looking and reflect many brilliant colours. 



The ringed degeeria is another scaleless species. The ground colour is greenish - 

 yellow, with brown transverse markings which give the ringed appearance. 



Photo l>y\ 



Scale of a Spring-tail. 



The spring-tails are clothed with minute scales, which are in some 

 cases long and hair-like. They were long in use by microscopists as 

 tests of the definition of their high-power lenses.' The photograph 

 shows one enlarged to si.x hundred times the actual size. 



