530 Mr. C. L. Witliy combe's Notes on 



ending in a bristle. Jaws are rather shorter and stouter 

 than in Hemerobius. Palpi three-jointed, the terminal 

 joint swollen, and longer than the terminal joint of antennae. 

 No krvae lived more than a few days. They refused 

 all aphids offered, and Cherm.es could not then be obtained. 



Hemerobius nitidulus Fabricius. 



Wing expanse 14-16 mm. General colour castaneous; wings 

 unmarked, uniformly brown in colour. There is no distinct black 

 spot in tlie basal third of fore-wings. Each of the macrotrichia 

 on the veins arises from a dark brown spot, hence the venation is 

 closely dotted with darker. Three radial sectors. Pterostigma 

 reddish brown. 



A common species on Scots fir, at least within a forty- 

 mile radius of London. Generally associated with H. 

 stigma and somewhat resembling it in colour, but the 

 unmarked wings will at once separate the present species. 

 The earliest notes I have of the capture of H. nitidvlus 

 are in April; from then onwards it is to be taken until 

 late autumn. There are several broods in a year, but 

 apparently it does not continue throughout the winter as 

 does //. stigma. 



Eggs are laid, as a rule, under the scaly ensheathing base 

 of a pair of pine needles, singly, but occasionally in pairs. 

 Sometimes they may be found laid on the needles near the 

 tips, as in H. stigma, or less often on twigs. The egg is 

 from -65 to -7 mm. long, of long oval shape, with pitted 

 chorion and micropylar knob. Colour is at first yellowish- 

 white, later darkening to orange-brown. Hatching takes 

 place in six days (70° F.) or nine days (60° F.). The young 

 larva is wholly pale yellow, after feeding, becoming some- 

 what brov/nish. 



In the second instar the body colour is yelloAvish-Avhite 

 with brownish longitudinal lines latero-dorsally. The head 

 markings are the same as in the third instar. 



Description of Third-instar Larva. (Plate XL, fig. 3.) 



Length when full fed about 7 mm. Body white, with pale brown 

 latero-dorsal longitudinal lines. 



The head is ])ale yellow in coloui-, with a jiale brown, central 

 wedge-shaped mark, expanding anteriorly. Sides of head pale 

 brown. Eyes black; antennae smoky, the basal joint much darker 



