529 



Beetle in New Jersey, and by many other Scarahaeidae in all 

 parts of the world, the importance of the discovery of this life 

 history can scarcely be overestimated. It took many years to 

 work out, without any thought that the results might even 

 prove of economic value. There could scarcely be a better 

 illustration of the value of pure research in entomology than 

 this. 



Order Mecoptera. 



Three specimens of the wingless Snow Scorpion-fly, Boreus 

 sp., from Banff; one specimen of Chorista australis Klug, 

 belonging to the archaic family Choristidac , and specimens of 

 Nannochorisfa diptcroides Till., from Tasmania, and Chorisfclla 

 philpotti Till., from New Zealand, both belonging to the re- 

 markable family Nannochorisiidac. 



The Choristidae contains a number of genera confined to 

 eastern Australia, which are the direct descendants of fossil 

 forms found in the Upper Permian and Upper Trias of the 

 same area (genera Pernio chorista and Mesochorista, respect- 

 ively). In all the many millions of years which have elapsed 

 from the Permian until now, during which much of Eastern 

 Australia has never again been submerged, the wings of these 

 insects only show the loss of one terminal branch of vein M ; 

 in other respects they have remained quite unaltered. 



The Nannoclioristidae are very small Panorpids which may 

 well be termed "four-winged Diptera." In flight and habits 

 they resemble Diptera very closely. They are aquatic in their 

 larval stages. The head closely resembles that of a primitive 

 Dipteron, and there is a true labellum formed by the fusion of 

 the palpi basally, though the distal joints remain still partially 

 separated. This suggests that the Dipterous labellum has also 

 been evolved by fusion of the palps, and not from the para- 

 glossae. The venation of these insects is similar to that of the 

 Brachycera as regards the main veins, but there are some cross- 

 veins present. 



All stages of the larva of Chorista australis were also 

 exhibited, together with the pupa, which lies free in the earth. 



