MEMBRANE- WINGED INSECTS. 269 



which you see in the centre of Fig. 209. Fishes are very 

 fond of the larvae of the Caddice, and hence the necessity 

 of such a covering as they make for themselves. For this 

 reason, also, they are often used as a bait by the angler. 



Questions. In what are the Neuroptera like the Coleoptera and 

 the Orthoptera ? What is said of their wings ? How are they divided 

 into two groups ? What are the families of the first group ? What 

 is there peculiar in three of these families ? What is said of the Drag- 

 on-flies? What of their eggs? What of their larvae? What of 

 their metamorphosis ? What is said of the Day-flies ? Give the nar- 

 ration of Jaeger in regard to them. What is said of the ravages of 

 the Termites ? What of their habitations ? What are the different 

 classes in their communities ? What is said of the laborers ? Of the 

 soldiers ? Of the queen and her cell ? What is said of the Book- 

 lice ? What is the characteristic of the second group of the Neurop- 

 tera ? What is said of the Ant-lion ? What is said of a family of 

 insects that deposit their eggs on stalks ? Give the account of the lar- 

 vae of the Caddice-flies. Describe their pupa state and theii meta- 

 morphosis. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



MEMBRANE-WINGED INSECTS. 



460. THE wings of the insects of the order Hymenop- 

 tera are membranous, like those of the Neuroptera, but 

 differ from them in not having a fine net- work of veins 

 or nerves.* In some of the very small species there are 

 almost no nerves. The name membrane-winged is there- 

 fore more appropriate than vein-winged, which is some- 

 times given to them. The anterior wings of the Hyme- 

 noptera are usually much larger than the posterior, and 

 during flight the wings of each side are fastened togeth- 

 er by minute hooks on the posterior wing, which take 

 hold of the rear margin of the anterior one. The females 



* These two terms, meaning the same thing, must not be confound- 

 ed with the same terms used in their ordinary sense. In insects they 

 are applied to the frame-work of the wings. 



