the British Neuroptera-Planipennia. 175 



Larva covers itself with the skins of the Aphides of 

 which it has extracted the juices. 



(Note : Hemerohius, as now restricted, =. Mucropalpus 

 of Rambur.) 



In working out the species of this genus, I have expe- 

 rienced in full force the hopelessness of arriving at a 

 satisfactory result with respect to the synonymy. 

 Hitherto all authors have neglected descriptions of the 

 appendices, which, in most cases, will, at any rate, 

 separate the males ; yet even with the help of this all- 

 important character, it is by no means always an easy 

 task to ensure absolute certainty, and these parts must be 

 considered in connection with general form and marking. 

 The greater part of the descriptions of old authors must 

 for ever remain of doubtful application ; and, in many 

 instances, the species referred to Linnean names are 

 different in the works of different writers, Hagen^s 

 " Hemerobidarum Synopsis synonymica^^ has been of 

 great service, but I have found it impossible to view 

 several of the older descriptions in the same light as he. 

 I can only hope that the attempt, made in the following 

 descriptions, to place particular stress upon structural cha- 

 racters may aflord a more certain basis upon which to work 

 in future. Characters drawn from the neuration of the 

 wings are here tolerably sure, so far as sectional arrange- 

 ment deduced from the number of sectors is concerned, 

 but further than that they are of little use, especially the 

 furcations of the sectors after they leave the radius. 



The Leachian and Stephensian species are far from 

 easy to determine; more especially as Stephens has 

 mixed them up in some instances, and divided them in 

 others. My earlier opinion as to the actual position of 

 some of them has undergone considerable modification 

 on closer examination, and yet it is probable, I may say 

 sure, that my present ideas are not always correct. 

 Hence, in more than one instance, I have not accorded 

 to the names given by the two Entomologists above- 

 mentioned, that precedence to which, by right of priority, 

 they are entitled, and which I have otherwise endeavoured 

 to maintain. It may be, that some future worker of the 

 genus will be more fortunate than I have hitherto been 

 in unravelling this tangled skein. These remarks apply 

 especially to H. humuli, limhatus, ajidpini. 



I have found it impossible to tabulate this genus. 



