THE SCORPION-FLY. 283 



the blades of tlie ovipositor, wliich open vertically, and not 

 laterally, like those of the Orthoptera. 



This is not a common insect, and, as if to add to its 

 eccentricity, it chooses the middle of winter for its appearance 

 in the perfect state. Hence its scientific name of Boreus 

 hyemalis — the former word signifying the north wind, and the 

 other wintry. The males are rarer than the females. 



