.; THE ORTHOPTERA. 105 



every stream, feeding on various aquatic insects and crusta- 

 ceans. When very young the wing-cases are scarcely 

 discernible, but gradually become more distinct at each 

 moult, until the larva assumes the form shown in the 

 illustration (Fig. 3a), which is taken from a specimen 

 about a week before the emergence of the perfect insect. In 

 all these insects it would be much more convenient to 

 regard the metamorphosis as consisting of only two stages, 

 viz,, larva and imago, as there is really no condition analo- 

 gous to the quiescent pupa of other orders. The female 

 is rather stouter than the male, which is the sex figured, 

 and her abdomen is of a dull bronze colour, instead of 

 metallic blue. The only other dragonfly found in my neigh- 

 bourhood (Wellington) is the pretty little Telebasis zealan- 

 dica (Fig. 4), which occurs in similar situations to the last, 

 but is not quite so common. The male is of a brilliant red 

 colour, the female being bronzy green, but she may be 

 readily distinguished from the same sex in Lestes colen- 

 sonis by her smaller size. The larva of this species is 

 rather more attenuated than that of the previous insect, 

 and is of course considerably smaller. 



Family 



Ephemera, n.s., near Coloburus'*- (Plate XVI., fig. 4, 4a 



larva). 



The well-known mayflies are very extensively repre- 

 sented in New Zealand, hovering in swarms over run- 

 ning water during the summer evenings. 



The larva of the present species (Fig. 4a) occurs abun- 

 dantly under stones in rapid streams. It may be imme- 

 diately distinguished from its numerous congeners by its 

 large head and conspicuous black eyes. It is carnivorous, 



1 One mutilated specimen of this insect was sent to Mr. 

 McLachlan, but was too imperfect to describe from. 



