172 INSECTS. 



The legs are long in most of the parasitic families, 

 less so in the Gallflies ; many are of remarkable forms. 



The wings vary some species being altogether with- 

 out wing-nerves, while in others these are well developed. 



The Spiculifera approach more nearly than the Saw- 

 flies and Borers, to the predatory tribes contained in the 

 next section, Aculeata ; but, as has already been said, 

 the legs afford a certain test as to which of these sections 

 a species belongs to, the trochanter (p. 35) in all the 

 Terebrantia consisting of two joints, while in the Acu- 

 leata it consists but of one. The antennae, the wings, 

 and the size of the insects also afford means of distin- 

 guishing them. 



Thus in the Aculeata the antennae are almost con- 

 stantly twelve-jointed in the female, thirteen in the male ; 

 both fore and hind-wings are always veined. The insects 

 are mostly of moderate or large size, the smallest seldom 

 being less than J or J of an inch. 



In the Spiculifera the number of joints in the antennae 

 is as follows. In the females of the Cynips and Evania 

 families from thirteen to fourteen or fifteen ; in the 

 Ichneumon family it is generally above sixteen. These 

 therefore may be distinguished by the antennae. In the 

 Chalcis family and the Proctotrupidee the antennas vary 

 from six to sixteen joints, but in these the wings afford 

 a sufficient distinction, the forewings being nearly or 

 quite veinless, and the hind-wings entirely without veins. 

 The extremely minute size of these little creatures is 

 also in most instances sufficient to separate them from 

 the Aculeata, only the giants attaining to the length of a 

 quarter of an inch. 



The Gallflies are the first family in this division. 

 Known perhaps in their own little persons to naturalists 



