498 THE INSEOT WORLD. 
month. As the bees come out of their nests, these larvee hook 
themselves on to their hairs, and pass from them to the females, 
at the coupling period. When the male bees have built the cells, 
and furnished them with honey, the female, as we know, deposits 
in each an egg. Immediately the larva of the Sitaris let them- 
selves fall on these eggs, open them, and suck their contents. 
Then they change their skin, and the second larva appears. This 
one gets into the honey, on which it feeds for six weeks. It is 

Fig. 545. penser “nymph Fig. 546.—Third larva of Sitaris Fig. 547.—Pupa of Sitaris 
“ot Sitaris humeralis. humeralis. humeralis. 
blind, whereas the first larva was provided with four eyes, no doubt 
to enable it to see the bees which were to serve as its conductors, 
in like manner as the companions of Ulysses watched the sheep of 
Polyphemus, so as to escape out of the cave in which they were 
retained as prisoners. A few days later, and this second larva 
contracts, and detaches from its body a transparent skin, which 
discloses a mass, at first soft, which very soon hardens, and becomes 
of a bright tawny colour ; it is called the pseudo-nymph (Fig. 545). 
It goes through the winter in this state. In the spring comes 
forth a third larva (Fig. 546), resembling the second. This one 
does not eat, and moults after a time. It very soon changes into 
an ordinary pupa (Fig. 047), of a yellowish-white, from which 
comes forth the adult Sitaris, which. lives only a few days, to 
ensure the propagation of its species, as is observed in the case of 
the Ephemere. The larve of the Sttaris had for a long time 
been remarked clinging on to the hairs of the Anthophoras ; but 
they were always taken for Acari, and they had been described as 
such. 
The Lampyride have the elytra weak and soft, like the insects 
of the preceding tribe. In their perfect state they frequent 
flowers. The laryee are carnivorous, attacking other insects or 
