xlvi 



and killed a few, but had no lasting effect, for they returned 

 in a few hours. 



I have been informed that sheep dip is most efficacious in 

 keeping the Siafu away from a house. 



Eaely stages of Osmylus chrysops. — Mr. C. L. Withy- 

 combe brought for exhibition a larva and adult of Osmylus 

 chrysops L., with some enlarged photographs illustrating 

 them, and made the following comments. 



" Several larvae of this Neuropteron were taken a few weeks 

 ago, at Sevenoaks, in moss on the margins of a small stream. 

 They are amphibious in habits, living in wet situations and 

 feeding mainly on Dipterous larvae. They are rather sluggish, 

 but can walk quite rapidly. The mouth-parts are remark- 

 able, being much elongated and almost straight. Each 

 mandible is grooved internally, and against this the maxilla 

 is pressed to form a sucking tube. The main difference of 

 these mouth-parts from those of most other Neuroptera is 

 that these sucking spears are curved slightly outwards instead 

 of being caliper-shaped, and consequently cannot seize and 

 hold a struggling insect. A small Chironomid larva (J inch 

 long) was offered to one specimen, which at once became very 

 active and stabbed viciously downwards with its spears 

 several times. After some misses it succeeded in j>iercing 

 the Chironomid, and within fifteen seconds the latter, which 

 had previously been very active, ceased to show any signs of 

 life, although no appreciable amount of its blood had been 

 extracted. It is therefore to be suj)posed that some very 

 poisonous salivary fluid had been secreted by the Osmylus. 



" A closely woven pale yellow cocoon is spun for pupation, 

 of silk secreted from the anus." 



Larvae of Taeniorhynchus richiardii Ficalbi, taken in Epping 

 Forest on roots of Typha ensifolia in December 1921, were 

 also exhibited. 



The larva of this Culicid has the siphon modified for piercing 

 the roots of aquatic plants from which it obtains its air supply. 



A normal Culicine larva {Finlaya geniculata) was also shown 

 for comparison, with a series of photographs showing the larva 

 attached to aquatic roots and one illustrating the method of 

 penetrating a root. 



