STONEFLIES, ALDER, SMUTS, ETC. 291 



In eight or ten days, the time varying according 

 to temperature, the eggs open near the top end, and 

 a tiny larva creeps out and makes its way as soon 

 as possible to the water. The young larva, which is 

 very similar in form to the full-grown one, dives down 

 and burrows into the mud, where it passes the greater 

 part of its larval existence, living chiefly on small 

 aquatic larvae, feeding voraciously and growing rapidly, 

 and within less than a year from the date of ovi- 

 position is fully grown and ready for the next meta- 

 morphosis. The full-grown larva is shown at Plate 

 XXXIV. 



It then crawls ashore, digs an oval cavity in the 

 ground at a depth of some six or eight inches, and 

 retires into this for the brief resting stage preparatory to 

 the next change to the pupa. It gradually develops into 

 a soft motionless pupa, also shown in Plate XXXIV. 

 This pupa is curiously curved in the cavity, the head 

 bent down and against the thorax. The tail end of 

 the body is bent downwards and the wing-covers, legs, 

 and antennee are lying near and parallel to the 

 abdomen. In a few days the pupa within the cavity 

 gradually develops into the winged insect, which 

 breaks through the thin envelope and makes its way 

 to the surface of the ground and flies away. 



The outward appearance of the imago is described 

 at page 225 and figured in Fig. 37. This life 

 history I can describe without fear of inaccuracy, 

 having made a long series of observations with 

 my late friend Marryat when rearing the alder in 



