116 APTERA. 



the tail returns to its first position. The Po- 

 durae are found on plants and trees i some live 

 on the surface of stagnant water, where they 

 walk and leap as if on firm ground ; others are 

 met with on the sandy roads ; and wherever 

 they are found, it is generally in great abun- 

 dance; sometimes in such a quantity as to 

 blacken the spot. 



They are oviparous, but undergo no meta- 

 morphosis. They leave the egg perfectly formed, 

 increasing daily, and sometimes changing their 

 skin. It appears that they live part of the win- 

 ter, during which time they lay their eggs. De- 

 geer observed these insects in Holland, alive 

 and very alert during the greatest cold. Their 

 eggs, which were near them, were of a yellow 

 colour, and contained nothing in the shape of 

 an insect, but only a few black points. Some 

 days afterwards the little Podurse appeared, 

 with their forked tail ready for leaping. 



SPECIFICATION. 



Podura plumbea. P. teres fusco-crerulea nitida. 

 Linn. Sfyst, Nat. 1 . p. 1013. Gmel. p. 2908. Fair. 



