380 SYSTEM OF INSECTS. 



improper, and which ought to have been retained. Its 

 present name was, I believe, assigned to it by Olivier ; 

 and as this is generally in use, I shall not attempt to dis- 

 turb it. Dr. Leach divided the Order into two, sepa- 

 rating the Elattina from it, under the name of Dictyo- 

 ptera a . He was led to this by the tegmina decussating 

 or lapping obliquely ov^r each other, whereas in the rest 

 the horizontal portion of one tegmen lies longitudinally 

 over that of the other ; he also probably took their de- 

 pressed body into consideration ; these circumstances, 

 however, rather indicate a tribe or suborder; and as 

 such Mr. MacLeay regards it. 



DEF. Metamorphosis semicomplete. 



Legs suspended. 



Tegmina generally pergameneous b , reticulated 

 with nervures, more or less incumbent, co- 

 vering the wings. 



Wings longitudinally folded, ample : neuration 

 reticulated. 



5. NEUROPTERA C (Synistata> Odonota F.). Of all 

 the Linnean Orders this appears to consist of the most 

 discordant tribes ; so that it seems next to impossible to 

 construct a definition that will include them all, unless 

 indeed we admit M. Latreille's idea, adopted by Mr. 

 MacLeay d , that a varied metamorphosis is its essential 

 character ; or, to speak more largely, variety itself seems 

 the characteristic of the insects composing it, in every 

 state ; and there is scarcely a common distinctive charac- 

 ter in their perfect state, upon detecting which in any in- 



a From IIKTVQV, a net. b Sec above, p. 266. 



e From vtv^oi/, a nerve. d Hor. Entomolog. 433. 



