262 EGGS OF THE LACE-WING. 



But let us commence the history of the lace-wing at its 

 beginning even from the egg which in itself presents (by 

 the way) a tiny object too singular as well as pretty to be over- 

 looked. There are to be seen, from May to August, attached 

 to various leaves, but those chiefly of the rose tree, certain 

 slender filaments, green or white, surmounted by an oval head, 

 and arranged sometimes, fringe-like, round the edge some- 

 times in groups on the surface of the leaf standing sometimes 

 singly and distinct sometimes with heads united in a cluster. 

 These heads, with their delicate stalk-like appendages, are none 

 other than the eggs of the lace-wing fly ; but it hardly needs 

 to be observed, that from no such minute envelopes could 

 possibly emerge her winged descendants, which, like all nearly 

 of the insect race, have to reach their perfect form through 

 three successive stages of development. 



Looking now upon the lace-wing in its earliest shape of 

 animation, that of larva a flat, wingless^ six-legged crawler, 

 wanting only size to make it frightful as well as hideous we 

 exclaim, " Can it be possible that an object so unsightly can 

 contain within it the germs of grace and beauty ?" Even so ; 

 and here, when without disguise "fierce" but not yet "fair'" 

 we behold the wolf of aphides playing havoc amongst these 

 flocks of foliage, which, with more than lamb-like passiveness, 

 permit themselves to be individually picked out and slaughtered 

 by their terrible but apparently undreaded enemy, to her 

 their green pellucid bodies, filled with saccharine juice, are 

 so many honey-pots, which she knows well the trick of empty- 

 ing (at the rate of three in half a minute) by means of her 

 imperforate as well as pointed jaws. When thus reduced to 

 skins, the spoils of victim aphides are frequently observed so 

 heaped up around their destroyer as to seem purposely col- 

 lected to serve it for a cover a proceeding which Kirby has 

 illustrated by comparing it to that of Hercules in clothing 

 himself with the skin of the Nemean lion. 



When our wolf of aphis flocks assumes the second form of 



