71 



It soon feeds up, and then becomes a [)upa inside the larva-skin, in a 

 cocoon within the egg-case of a spider. I'lie pupa breaks through, 

 and becomes free of these various envelopes before disclosing the 

 imaco. 



7. He.merobiid.-e. 



This family is a large and important one, consisting of several 

 fairly distinct sub-families. 



(i) The Dilariiuc contain no British species. The males have 

 pectinated antennae and the females a long ovipositor. They other- 

 wise much resemble the sub-family HeiJierobiitue . Navas, of Sara- 

 gossa, has recently monographed them. 



(ii) The A{vmphidhue are Australian insects resembling ant-lions, 

 but having no knob to their antennae. 



(iii) The Os/nyli/ue, which perhaps should be sub-divided, are repre- 

 sented in Britain by five insects: Osmvlus chrysops (PI. VI, fig. 7), 

 Sisyafiiscata, S. dalii, S. termina/is, and Psedra diplcra. O. chrysops 

 has three simple eyes on the top of its head. The larva is aquatic or 

 semi-aquatic, and catches its prey near the margin of the water. It 

 hibernates, and the next year, when full-fed, spins a cocoon of sand 

 and silk, within which it becomes a pupa. S. liiscata, and probably 

 the other species oi Sisyra, feed on the fresh-water sponge, Ephydatia 

 y?«Z'/a/z7/i', which is so well adapted for food that the larva has no 

 posterior orifice to its alimentary canal. The extremely rare little 

 insect, Psedra diptera, has vestiges only of hind-wings in the male, 

 though they are fully developed in the female. 



(iv) The Hemeroiniiice contain no lewer than tweniy-two British 

 species in four genera : Henterohiiis pel/ucidits, H. elegans, H. iiicon- 

 spicuus.H. viicans, H. nitidith/s, H. lutmuli, H. httescens, H. 7?iargi/ia- 

 tus, H. orofypiis, H. /lervosi/s, H. subnelu/iosiis, H. fnorto/ii, H. stigma, 

 H. limbatdlus, H. pini, H. atrifrons, H. co/ici/i/ius (PI VI, fig. 7a), 

 H.quadnfasciatus ; Micromiis paganus, M. variegatus, M. a/ign/ati/s ; 

 Megalomiis hirtas, and D)-epaneptcryx phahctwides. They are usually 

 rather small insects with closely netted brownish wings ; the antennre 

 are moniliform. So far as known the usual food of the larvae is 

 Aphides. They spin a small silken cocoon, from which the pupa 

 emerges before turning into an imago. Hemerobius stig?na may be 

 found as an imago all the year round in the Esher fir-woods, in 

 Surrey. The rare Drepanepteryx phahenoides much resembles in 

 appearance the moth Drepana lacertinaria. It is further moth-like 

 in ihat it has an apparatus for hooking together the fore- and hind- 

 wings. In this last respect Megalonius hirtits somewhat resembles it. 



8. Chrysopid^. 



In this family, again, there is a fair number of British species, 

 which pass under the names of golden-eyes (a very suitable one). 



