stink-flies, wh'ch is not always true, and green lacewings, though the 

 two members of the genus Nothochrysa are brown. Our species are 

 fifteen: Chrysopa vilfata, C.Jlava, C. alba, C. flavifrons, C. te/ie/Za^ 

 C. vulgaris, C. septempiinctata, C.prasina, C. veutialis, C. abbi-eviata^ 

 C. phyllochroma, C. dorsalis (discovered as British at Oxshott a few 

 years ago), C. per/a (PI. VI, fig. 8) ; Nothochrysa fi/Iviceps, and N. 

 capitata. They are most important insects, being in general Aphis- 

 feeders, and luckily are plentiful. The eggs are placed at the ex- 

 tremity of long stalks. Though the genus Chrysopa contains so 

 many British species, it is not very difficult to distinguish them by 

 means of a table given by IVlcLachlan in his monograph of the 

 Planipennia, published in the "Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond.," 1868. 

 Most of the species of the HemerobiidK, on the other hand, must 

 be determined by means of the genitalia. 



9. CONIOPTERVdlD.E. 



Apparently we have three species in Britain of these minute 

 neuropterous insects, which are very distinct from other members of 

 the order in that they possess powdery v^^ings. Our three species 

 are Coiiiopteryx psociformis (PI. VI, fig. 9), C. akyrodiformis, and C. 

 lactea. An Austrian species, Aleiiropieryx /iifea, is known to feed 

 on scale insects. 



10. Panorpid.*:. 



This is a small family of about ten genera, three — PaiwrpUy 

 Biftaci/s, and Boreus — being represented in Europe. The British 

 species are Pauorpa covimiinis, F. cognata, J\ gtrinanica (PI. VI, fig. 

 10) ; and Bora/s hyemalis. The first and third are common, the 

 second and fourth scarce. Most members of the family have an 

 elongated beak ; in the genus Pauorpa the males have a scorpion- 

 like extremity to their body ; B. hyemalis (PI. VI, fig. loa) is a small 

 wingless insect, with the power of jumping, found in moss during 

 the winter. Bittaais Hpidarius, which much resembles a " daddy- 

 long-l(rgs," should occur in Britain, but apparently does not. In 

 this family tlie mouth is mandibulate, and not modified to form a 

 sucking organ ; the members of the family are carnivorous, but the 

 larvie do not seem to attack living creatures. The Panorpidai form 

 a more distinct group than the other families of the Neuroptera, 

 and are consequently by some given ordinate rank under the name 

 of Mecaptera. 



In what ways and for what reasons can I recommend the Neuro- 

 ptera as worthy of attention by members of this Society ? In the 

 first place, we (or most of us at any rate) are no longer beginners 

 in entomology, and might therefore like to tread on ground which 

 is not the common highway of everybod)'. To such the Neuroptera 



