ORDER NEUROPTERA. 



47 



Tribe IV. — Corrodentia. 



This tribe contains two families, one of which is represented in 

 the British Isles. 



Family 5, Psocidce. — This is a family of small insects with 

 simple veined wings. They have a rather large head, and bear a 

 pair of long tapering antennae. They are found upon trunks of 

 trees, old paHngs, walls, etc. They are very active in their 



Fig. 57- — Perla Eicaudata. 



movements, and generally appear in the imago state about the 

 end of summer or beginning of autumn. 



Atropos pidsatorius is one of these. It lives in books and 

 among old damp papers, whence it is often called the " Book 

 Louse." 



Fig. 58. — Psocus Bipunc'atus. 



They are also very destructive to collections of preserved 

 insects and plants. About thirty species occur in this country. 



Family 6, EmbiidcB. — This family contains no representative 

 in the British Isles, and consists of a small number of almost 

 exclusively exotic species. Two species, however, inhabit the 

 continent of Europe, one of which, Embia Solieri, occurs in the 

 south of France on the Mediterranean littoral. 



These insects are very closely allied to the Fsocidce in their 

 habits. 



