370 INSECTS ABROAD. 



larva, or the tooth-like jaws of the perfect insect. With these 

 weapons it gnaws a hole in the side of the cocoon, and shortly 

 afterwards the pupal skin splits along the back. The insect then 

 forces itself through the aperture, leaving the cast skin inside 

 the cocoon ; and as soon as it has fully extricated itself, the soft 

 abdomen rapidly extends to some three times its former length, 

 after which the skin becomes hardened, and the abdomen is as 

 straight and firm as that of a dragon fly. 



From this brief account the reader will observe that we have 

 in the Ant Lion pupa the curious phenomenon of a pair of ex- 

 tremely powerful jaws, made simply for the purpose of gnawing- 

 through the sand- wall of the cocoon, and being used once and 

 once only in the creature's life, and then cast aside. 



The central figure on Plate VII. represents a very fine insect, 

 called Palpates Caffcr, which, as its specific name denotes, is a 

 native of Southern Africa. 



This is a very variable insect in point of colour, and I will 

 therefore describe only the specimen from which the illustration 

 was drawn. The general colour is pale brown, but on either 

 side of the front edge of the thorax there is a patch of bright 

 yellow, and the abdomen has a ring of the same colour on the 

 lower edge of each segment. On the upper part of the abdomen 

 are a number of long, fine hairs, pale brown in colour, and all 

 pointing backwards. 



Both pairs of wings are spotted and blotched with brown, but 

 the lower pair have the spots much larger, and more decided in 

 outline, and darker than the upper wings ; and in all specimens 

 the large spots are three in number. Over the rest of the wing 

 a number of smaller and paler spots are placed somewhat at 

 random, and in some specimens the upper wings have a decided 

 golden yellow tinge. 



There are many species of this genus, found in different parts 

 of the world. They all have a very strong family likeness ; and 

 as they are exceedingly variable in the shape, number, and 

 colour of the spots which variegate the wings, it is no easy 

 business to discriminate between the species. Two species, how- 

 ever, call for a brief notice. One of them is Palpares immcnsus, 

 also a South African insect, being found in Damaxa Land. Its 

 upper wings are most beaiitifully pencilled with a delicate zigzag 



