Eighth Report of the State Entomologist. 161 



The following was sent to a coiTespondent, Mr. C. L. Shear, in 

 Alcove. N. Y., who wrote July 7th, 1891: 



Will 3'ou please give me the name of the inclosed insect, and tell 

 me whether it is common oi- not; also whether there is any notice of it 

 in your reports. The s])ecimen is somewhat mutilated, owing to the 

 carelessness of the collector, which was a cat. 



The insect is the " horned Corydalis," Corydalls cornuta, so named 

 from the two long curved mandibles borne by the male. It belongs to 

 the order of Neuroptcra, and is allied to the dragon flies — like them, its 

 larvae living in tlie water. It is a common species, and is distributed 

 over a large part of the United States. The larv;e are often collected 

 by boys from beneath stones in running streams, and sold to fishermen 

 at a good paying price, as bait, ])articularly suited to bass — it being, 

 in piscatorial parlance, " the dobson," or " the crawder." They are 

 formidable looking creatures, measuring, w^hen full-grown, about three 

 and one-half inches in length, with a large flattened head provided 

 w^ith unusually long and strong mandibles, three pairs of long legs and 

 two sets on each side of floating lateral appendages which are breath- 

 ing organs or gills, for its use in the water. It is also provided 

 with the usual number of spiracles or breathing pores, to serve for respi- 

 ration when it leaves the water for its pupation on the land beneath a 

 stone or log. It is shown in Plate 2 at a. 



Dr. David Norwood, of Esperance, has given me the following infor- 

 mation of its habits, which I find recorded among my notes under date 

 of May 3d, 1869: 



The larva leaves the water earlier than is usually supposed. At the 

 present time thej^ may be found hidden under stones upon the shores 

 of the Schoharie creek. They sometimes occur at a distance of a hun- 

 dred yards from the stream in adjoining garden plats beneath stones. 

 They are very numerous in this vicinity, and are extensively used for 

 fish-bait. Quarts of them can be taken at any time by the boys, who 

 adopt the following ingenious plan for capturing them: Wading into 

 the creek, with a seive in. one hand and a hooked wire in the other, 

 stone after stone is carefully raised w^ith the hook, and from almost 

 every one a larva is swept out by the running water and dexterously 

 captured by the seive placed in position for receiving it. In this man- 

 ner a bushel could be easily caught if so many were needed. 



The above was communicated to the gentleman in reply to his 

 inquiry. The present opportunity' is taken to record some observations 

 recently made by me on the habits and respiration of a larva • under 

 confinement. 



A larva of this species was kept under observation in an aquarium 

 in my oftice for eight months, during which time it partook of no food, 

 21 



