The South Auttralian Naturalist. 



Finally, the Museum Entomoiogist has asked me to mention 

 some small flies which form an aberrant group of the Chirono- 

 midae. The extraordinary breeding-place of these insects is on 

 those portions of marine reefs exposed between the tides. The 

 larvae are aquatic, and when hatched the adult lives only long 

 enough to lay the eggs — that is, its existence in a mature state is 

 limited to the time between the tides, for when the reef is once 

 more submerged imagoes, which have but rudimentary wdngs^ 

 are drowned. None of these flies has so far been recorded from 

 Australia, but Mr. Lea suggests that a close search may reveal 

 their presence. 



The life histories of insects which deposit their eggs in the 

 water are of absorbing interest; but brief notice of metamor- 

 phoses has been made in this paper, which is confined to notes 

 upon the adaptations present during stages in which the habit is- 

 aquatic. Of material there is no dearth ; for instance, during a 

 visit of the Aquarium Society to a pond on Dr. Pulleine's 

 grounds at FuUarton, most of the insects mentioned above were 

 taken with hand-nets within an hour. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE. 



Fig. 1. Common Dragon-fly (Aeshna hrevistyla) ; la, 

 pupa; lb, lower labrum or "mask" (enlarged). 



Fig. 2. Larva of Dragon-fly (LiheUula) ; 2a, mask (en- 

 larged). 



Fig. 3. Larva of Demoiselle (Zygoptera) ; 3a, mask (en- 

 larged) ; 3b, caudal tracheal gill (enlarged). 



Fig. 4. Caddis-fly (Phryganea) ; 4a, larvae. 



Fig. 5. Drone-fly (EristaJis tenax) ; 5a, larvae; 5b, pupae. 



Fig. 6. Grey Mosquito (C«?eic /ah'grans), immediately after 

 emergence ; the empty pupal case is seen on the left ; 6a, larva ; 

 6b, pupae (all enlarged). 



Photos.— H. M. Hale. 



GORGE ROAD. 



During the holidays the Editor rode down the new road on 

 his Napier (single cylinder). The new road follows the wind- 

 ings of the Torrens from the Gumeracha Bridge to the Weir 

 near the mouth of the Gorge. The scenery is most impressive, 

 wooded hills rising steeply on either side, from 500 feet to over 

 1,000 feet. The new road opens up some of the finest scenery in 

 our hills. 



