LEPIDOPTERA. 67 



species crawl up the stems of v iter-plants, and under- 

 go their change in the air; oiers swim to the sur- 

 face of the water, and use their ( .Id pupal covering as a 

 raft from which to rise into the ri •, after the manner of 

 some gnats. Like the Eplieim , -m, the Pliryrjanidas 

 have only rudimentary mouths, and as they never eat 

 they are doubtless very short-livefl. The females of some 

 of the species have been seen to d.':-cend a foot deep or 

 more into the water to deposit tli r eggs, just as we have 

 seen is sometimes the case with s'^ ;ie of the dragon-flies. 

 The colours of all the British Plajganidse are obscure, 

 being brown, grey, or black. 



LEPIDOPTERA 



The Phryganidce, a family of insects noticed in the 

 last chapter, may be considered to form a sort of 

 connecting link between the Orders Neuroptera and 

 LepidojJtera, so similar are some of the species to moths. 

 We come now, therefore, to the Lepidoptera, containing 

 the Butterflies and Moths — insects which, from the 

 delicacy of form of many species, and the brilliancy of 

 the colours often displayed on the wings, have always 

 been, perhaps, the most attractive of all insects. 

 The structure of the mouth of a Lepidopterous 

 insect will distinguish it from one belonging to any other 

 of the Orders. The long tongue, spirally rolled when at 

 rest, is an organ admirably suited for inserting in the 

 deep petals of flowers and extracting therefrom the sweet 



F 2 



