Family V. Hemerobiide. The body and wings 
are slender, the antenne long and simple, and the 
eyes round. The jaws are small. The perfect in- 
sects have a weak flight, and a disagreable smell. 
The larve are found on leaves, where they feed on 
Aphides. 
Fig. m. Chrysopa perla, the Lace-winged Fly, 
has a greenish-yellow body and _ glassy iridescent 
wings with green nervures. It fixes its eggs to leaves 
singly, on long stalks. The active larva is so 
voracious that it has been called the Lion of the 
Aphides. 
Family VI. Myrmeleonidea. The Ant-lions are 
very like the dragonflies in shape, but the abdomen 
is shorter in proportion, and the antenn are clubbed 
at the tip. The larvae which live in sand, take 
two years to attain their full growth. There are 
no British species of this or of the following family. 
Fig. n. Adyrmeleon formicarius has a dark grey 
body, with pale spots on the head and thorax. The 
segments of the abdomen are also bordered with 
paler behind. The wings are transparent, reticulated 
and spotted with brown. The perfect insect rests 
with sloping wings during the day, and does not fly 
about till sunset. The larva, the real Ant-lion, is 
short and thick, about three-quarters of an inch long, 
and digs itself a circular pitfall in the sand, from 
which only its jaws project in the middle. Here it 
lies in ambush, till an ant or some other insect 
falls into the pit, when it seizes it, and sucks out 
its juices. If the insect does not fall to the bottom, 
and tries to escape, the -ant-lion throws up showers 
of sand with its shovel-shaped head, until the prey 
falls to the bottom of the pit. When it has sucked 
the insect dry, it jerks the empty skin out of the 
pit in the same way. The species figured is com- 
mon in many parts of Central and Southern Europe 
during the summer. 
Family VII. Ascalaphide. In these insects, 
the antennz are long, and clubbed at the end. The 
abdomen is oval, and the wings are broad. The 
hind wings are frequently blotched with black and 
yellow, which increases their resemblance to a butter- 
fly. The larve resemble those of the Ant-lions, byt 
construct no pitfalls. 
Family VIIL. 
Perlide. The Stone-flies have 


































































































































































































































































































































Perla bicaudata. 
reticulated wings, the hind wings being as long as 



36 
minates in two short filaments. The antennez are 
moderately long. The metamorphosis is complete. 
Ferla bicaudata has a brownish-yellow thorax 
bordered with darker, a reddish yellow head, and a 
brownish yellow abdomen. The wings are yellowish, 
but transparent, and the nervures are darker. They 
prefer the neighbourhood of running brooks. The 
female lays her eggs in the water, and the carni- 
vorous larvee hide under stones and in crevices. 
Family IX. Ephemerida. The organs of the 
mouth are very imperfectly developed, the antennz 
are moderately long, and the fore wings are much 
longer than the hind wings. The abdomen is long 
and rather slender, with 2 or 3 long terminal fila- 
ments. The larva and pupz live for several months, 
or perhaps a year or two, in the water, and have 
horny jaws. The perfect insects are seen flying over 
water, often in immense swarms, but only live a 
few hours. 
Fig. k. “Ephemera vulgata, the common May- 
fly, is one of the larger species. It is brown, and 
the body is dark yellow, with three 
rows of orange spots. The wings are 
transparent , pale brown, and spotted. 
The larve are carnivorous, and live in 
crevices washed by the water. They 
only differ from the pup in wanting 
the rudiments of wings. When they 
have arrived at maturity, they quit the 
water, but it is very curious that after 
the perfect fly emerges, it moults again, 
even to the wing-coverings, which is 
not the case with any other insects. 
The Mayflies are most abundant at the 
end of May, and at the beginning 
of June. 
Falingenia horaria is another species, which is 
not British, but is often seen in great abundance 
on the Continent in August. It 
is milkwhite, with the front of 
the head, the eyes and the front 
legs partly black, and the front 
edge of the fore wings grey. It 
often flies to lamps near the banks 
of rivers in countless thousands. 
Family X.  Libellulida. The Dragonflies have 
long slender bodies, and netlike wings, which are 
generally transparent. They have a large head and 
powerful jaws, but very short antenne. The larve 
live in water and have a curiously constructed 
movable lower lip; and the perfect insect is also 
generally found near water, though the larger species, 
which have a very powerful flight, are frequently met 
with at a considerable distance from it. The Dragon- 
flies feed voraciously on other insects in all their stages. 
Fig. j. Calopteryx virgo, the Damsel-Fly, is 
very abundant flying over water. The male is blue, 
and the wings are transparent at the base and at 
the tip. The female has a metallic green body and 
brown wings. The larva lives in water, and changes 
to a pupa with the rudi- 
ments of wings, while still 
quite young and small, after 
which it continues to grow = 
considerably. : 
Agrion puclla is amuch 
smaller insect, with trans- 
parent wings. The male is 
blue, spotted with bronze, =n 
and the female is bronze spotted with blue. It is 



the fore wings, and the abdomen is broad, and ter- |} very common about brooks throughout the summer. 

