Insects. 8975 
The question must, I think, now be considered as settled; and this, I hope, wipes 
away the last stain cast upon the fair fame of Madame Merian: romance, as it has 
hitherto been considered by many, becomes plain reality—President’s Anniversary 
Address to Entomological Society, January 25, 1864. 
_[I believe the Honduras firefly, with intermittent light, is an Elater; if so, the 
Fulgora question remains in statu quo.—Edward Newman. | 
Life History of Anubolia nervosa.—The eggs of this insect are deposited by the 
parents in September and October; the young are hatched, 1 presume, the same 
autumn, but of this Iam not sure; from the small size of the larye when found in the 
early spring of the succeeding year, I am led to believe they are hatched the pre- 
ceding autumn. These larve live in very slightly running water, and even in still 
water; when in still water they appear to me to make larger cases than they do in 
tunning water; the reason for this I cannot understand. When these larve are very 
young they might be easily mistaken for those of another genus, namely, Leptocerus; 
for the construction of their cases is very similar—both are composed of fine glutinous 
silk, coated with grains of fine sand, the tubes slightly curved. The principal differ- 
ence, however, is that the Leptocerus larva rounds off the posterior end of its case, 
whereas the Anabolia larva either cuts off the end quite straight, or it is slightly trun- 
eated; but, as the animals grow and build up their cases, the difference becomes very 
apparent. The Anabolia uses larger materials, and builds a larger case; it then hasa 
considerable curve, something in appearance to a long cornucopia coated with grains 
of coarser sand and small stones; up to this stage no balancers or vegetable materials 
are used. While the animal is at this stage of its existence it does not move very far 
from the place of its nativity; but, as it approaches to maturity, it appears to have 
gained somewhat of a roving disposition, and then it is that he adds a piece of straw, 
grass or stick, as a balancer; this is, it appears to me, to give greater buoyancy to its 
case, so that it can move through the water with greater facility and ease. There are 
other pieces added as the animal grows older and requires to move about further in 
search of food, of which at this period of its existence it requires a great deal. The 
number of straws, sticks, &c., attached to its case renders it very buoyant; two of the 
sticks are longer than the others, and are so nicely adjusted as to keep the animal’s 
head lower than the other end, so that it can lay hold of stones or other things at the 
bottom. If the case was equally poised the animal would not have the power over 
the direction of its case, particularly in rapidly running water. There is a wonderful 
piece of engineering skill, termed instinct, (or, a better name for it would be common 
sense), displayed here by a humble creature like this; in other words, means adapted 
to certain ends. When the larva is full fed, which is about the middle or towards 
the end of July, it then goes into the pupa state, in which it remains about a month 
or six weeks; the perfect insect emerges from about the end of August through Sep- 
tember and October. Before the larva goes into the pupa state, a grating of a 
gelatinous-looking substance, which hardens, is placed over the hole at the posterior 
end of the case; at the same time the anterior end is firmly affixed to a stem of grass, 
a bit of stick, or a stone, by thickly woven silken threads, which prevents all intruders 
from getting in at that end, and the grating prevents anything from prying in at the 
other; at length the imago wakes up, and is ready to perpetuate its species, as its 
parents had done before.— Edward Parfitt. 
Psyche Neuropterous—“ Mr, Newman has latterly expressed a real or a feigned 
doubt about the lepidopterous nature of the insect [Acentropus niveus], notwithstanding 
