576 



INSECTS AT HOME. 



rudders whereby they direct their course, and their fore-legs 

 stretched out in front for the purpose of seizing their prey. 

 When the insect is at rest, these legs are folded under the 

 body in the attitude which tliey assume when the prey is held 

 against the breast, so that the long, curved, sharply-pointed 

 beak may be driven into it. One of these prehensile legs is 

 shown at Fig. a, and a profile view of the head, so as to show 

 the form of the beak, with its long penultimate joint, is given 

 at Fig. 6. 



I. Hydromctra pibbifera. 

 4. Halticororis lutoicollis. 

 aatei.na and toiigus. 



2. Hydromctra arfrentata. 

 a. Hydrometra argeiitata, fore-leg. 



.3. Corixa Gooffroyi. 

 b. Do., head, with 



These insects afford many examples of the imperfect-perfect 

 state, which has been the trouble of most entomologists until 

 its true nature was cleared up. In this condition, the Hydro- 

 metridce so exactly resemble pupae, that when they were seen 

 exercising all the functions of the perfect insect, the observers 

 were naturally perplexed. 



