150 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



colored,) banded with yellowish, and of a plump, rounded form 

 in the wingless specimens ; the anterior pair of wings are of a 

 dark, smoky tint, veined near the base with yellow ; the posterior 

 pair, of a lighter shade, almost hyaline, (clear, transparent, like 

 glass.) The winged or adult specimens scarcely average .4 of 

 an inch to the tips of the wings, which expand from .6 to .8. 



The families Perlina and Ejfhemejina, or may-flies and day- 

 flies, as they are commonly called, if not strictly of service to 

 the agriculturist, are at least perfectly innoxious, passing their 

 preparatory stages in the water and subsisting chiefly on aquatic 

 insects. After acquiring wings they furnish food for various 

 kinds of fish, and are frequently used as a bait by the angler. 

 In some parts of Europe they are said to occur in such immense 

 numbers as to be collected for manure. Although we have 

 several species in New England, they are not of sufficient 

 influence or prominence to require mention here. 



The family Odondta comprises all the day-flying insects 

 commonly called " devil's darning-needles," " dragonflies," or 

 " horse-stingers," and " mosquito hawks." These are again 

 divided into tribes, sub-families, and genera ; the first tribe 

 Agrionina of Fabricius, (from a Greek word meaning wild or 

 savage,) is very largely represented in Massachusetts ; it contains 

 the more slender-bodied insects known as " darning-needles," 

 and distinguished by their short, broad heads with distant eyes, 

 and four-juinted short antenna), which appear like two tapering 

 bristles situated between the eyes. 



The genus CaJopleryx of Leach, from kalos, beautiful, and 

 pteri/x, a wing, is appropriately named and contains some of 

 our handsomest species. The body is generally of a shining 

 brassy green, or bluish color, and the wings broadest toward 

 the apex and finely veined. The females of this genus have an 

 oval, whitish spot on the anterior margin of each wing near the 

 tip, which is called the pterostlg-ma or wing-mark ; this is found 

 throughout the Odondta, and is of great value in identification, 

 being of various forms and colors in dilferent species, and not 

 generally confined to one sex as in the present case. 



Qdd/drri/M a/ncdlis, of Burmcister, or the black tii)pcd 

 darning-needle, is about one inch and seven-eighths in length ; 

 expanse of wing two inches and a half; head and body blackish 

 beneath ; elsewhere brassy-green, or in some lights, blue ; feet 



