CATALOGUE OF INSECTS. 9 



and altogether primitive in appearance. The wings are large and 

 frail, net-veined, not united in flight and not folded when at rest. 

 Yet while in general structure these insects are of the simplest, they 

 have become very highly specialized socially, living in immense com- 

 munities and developed into special castes like workers, soldiers and 

 fully developed sexed individuals. The workers have no eyes, but 

 have interesting and peculiar sensory structures that serve them as 

 well in their underground life. Only one species occurs in New 

 Jersey, and that is not injurious to growing crops. 



The Mallophaga are the biting lice, and they have the same gen- 

 eral form as in the white ant workers, though more flattened and in 

 general adapted to their parasitic mode of life. They occur most 

 abundantly on birds, including the domesticated varieties, but are 

 also found on cattle and horses. Wings are never developed in this 

 order, and, as in the Isoptera, the transformations are incomplete. 



The Corrodentia mark a step in advance, but are still soft-bodied 

 and loose-jointed. The book lice are a common type found in houses 

 and resemble the biting lice in form ; but they are very active and 

 run rapidly. Some forms develop wings, and those, though broad 

 and very peculiarly net-veined, are not folded when at rest. 



The Neuroptera or insects with net-veined wings mark a distinct 

 advance. The larvae yet retain the general form of the worker 

 white ant, but the body is much broader and the jaws are better 

 developed, for most of the species are predatory. These larvae are 

 known as Ant lions and Aphis lions because of their habit of feed- 

 ing on these insects ; but they attack also a great variety of other 

 species and are highly beneficial. The larvae when full grown form 

 a true pupa, which remains quiescent until the winged adult emerges 

 and the transformation is thus complete. These adults have gener- 

 ally slender, long bodies, with very large wings which are laid flat 

 when at rest and not folded. The lace-winged flies are common 

 examples of this order and they may bestirred up in rank vegetation 

 anywhere in summer. Their green color, very delicate lace-like 

 wings and foul odor will identify them readily. As a whole this 

 order is very near to the series with compact thorax in which a dis- 

 tinct neck is developed. 



It will be noted that all the orders referable to this first series with 

 similarly developed thoracic segments are terrestrial in all stages, 

 and none of them live in or under water. 



The second series of the mandibulates is that in which the first 

 segment of the thorax became separated from and moveable upon the 

 second, while the second and third became closely united. In all 



