CHAPTER V 



ALDER-FLIES, SNAKE -FLIES, LACEWINGS, 

 AND SCORPION-FLIES 



THE eleventh order of British insects, or Neurop- 

 tera, used to consist of a very mixed company, 

 ranging from stone-flies and dragon-flies to caddis- 

 flies, and including a great variety of forms which 

 differed greatly in their life-histories, and in many 

 details of their structure. In fact, almost every tribe 

 of insects that could not be fitted in conveniently 

 elsewhere was marshalled with the Neuroptera. But 

 modern naturalists, recognizing that relationship is 

 the only sure guide to classification, are for the most 

 part agreed that if a particular group of insects will 

 not " fit in " with others, the safest plan is to rank it 

 pro tern, as a separate order. With the growth of 

 knowledge, and as " missing links " are discovered, it 

 may become possible to connect many of these pro- 

 visional orders with the larger divisions ; but at 

 present this is not feasible. 



In its restricted form, the order Neuroptera includes 

 the alder-flies, snake-flies, and lacewings, besides the 

 interesting ant-lions and their allies, which, unfor- 

 tunately, are not represented in Britain. In all these 

 insects the mouth-parts are of the biting type. The 

 antennae are long, many-jointed, and slender. The 

 adult has always four nearly similar wings traversed 



55 



