liead end and without legs. It is to be seen moving about with 

 a,n undulating motion on roses, cabbages, and most other plants 

 infested by Aphides. On meeting with one, it seizes it with its 

 mouth, having a peculiar habit of raising it in the air while 

 its juices are extracted. Any maggot resembling that shown 

 by the figure and found crawling on the surface of Aphid-infested 

 plants, is almost sure to prove a Syrphid Fly grub, and as such 

 should always be allowed to continue its way in peace. Some 

 species are marked with a diamond-shaped pattern along the 

 back, and some have a pinkish hue showing through from the 

 interior. 



The Pupa (Plate II., Fig. 3). When the maggot is full-fed, 

 a semi-transparent case (Puparium) is formed on the plant, 

 from which the fly emerges in due course. 



The Perfect Insect (Plate II., Fig. 1). Few can have failed to 

 observe on a sunny day numbers of black and yellow striped flies of 

 fair size hovering and darting in the air and anon settling on 

 the leaves of some plant. These are usually Hover Flies, the 

 parents of the Aphis-eating maggot. The commonest and 

 perhaps most beneficial species is figured. 



LACEWING FLIES. 



Lacewing Flies belong to the same class as the Dragon-Flies, 

 huve biting jaws, " feelers " or antennae, and four wings which, 

 with their many fine supporting ribs, have the appearance of 

 net or lace hence the popular name of the group. The wings, 

 which are large, are carried flat when at rest against the sides 

 of the body, extending beyond it and obscuring the whole 

 hinder portion. The most familiar members of the group are 

 beautiful green insects with golden eyes. Other species are of 

 the same form, but smaller and a plain brown in colour. 



Many Lacewings, when in the grub stage, are sometimes 

 confused with Ladybird grubs, and are not inferior to them in 

 their inexhaustible appetite for Aphides. They may also attack 

 Scale Insects or other pests, and some have the remarkable 

 habit of covering themselves with small pieces of lichen, bark, 

 -&c., or even with the empty skins of their victims. All Lacewings 

 are valuable and should on no account be destroyed. 



Description and Life-History. The Eggs (Plate II., Fig. 5) 

 are easily recognisable, being laid in groups of fifty or less on 

 leaves, &c., and are attached by long, hair-like stalks or pedicles. 

 This peculiar stalk attachment is of value, as the young grub is 

 so extremely voracious that, were not the remainder of the 

 batch of eggs out of reach, it would, on hatching, certainly 

 devour them, together with any other grubs that were emerging. 



The Grub or Larva (Plate II., Fig. 6) is sometimes supposed 

 to resemble that of the Ladybird, but is dark-brown, more 

 pointed towards the " head " end, while the large sharp mandibles 

 -or jaws are a prominent feature. 



