224 



MR. E. M'LACHLAN ON A SYSTEMATIC 



Repagula elongata pedunculata, subdiaphana, rufescentia. Larva 



— Abdomen ovale, complanatum, scabrum ; peetines utrinque 



decern atro ciliati, anticis duobus (alarum rudimentis ?) curvis." 

 And at p. 511 we are informed that " by the term repagula 

 (barriers) Mr. Guilding designates certain attendants on the 

 eggs, which he conceives to be without analogies in the animal 

 creation. They are curiously placed in circles, and always on 

 the extremity of a branch, so that nothing can approach the 

 brood ; nor can the young ramble abroad till they have acquired 

 strength to resist the ants and other insect enemies. The female 

 may be seen expelling from her ovary these natural barriers 

 with as much care as her real eggs." Typical examples of the 

 perfect insect are contained in the Oxford Museum, with young 

 larvae ; and I imagine it is one of the latter that Prof. West- 

 wood figures in his ' Introduction,' fig. 63, 20. It is much to 

 be regretted that no one since Gruilding's time has described the 

 metamorphoses of American species of the family. The allies of 

 his species are common enough in some parts of America, and a 

 species so closely related as to have been considered identical is 

 found in the Southern States ; why, then, does not some Ame- 

 rican entomologist give us some information respecting the ex- 

 traordinary barriers by which the eggs &c. are protected ? 

 That these are not present in Old-World species is certain, so 

 far as observations have gone. If the barriers also " protect " 

 the larvas till they have acquired sufficient strength to protect 

 themselves, one is tempted to ask on what these feed in the 

 mean time ? 



In the ' Verhandlungen der zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft 

 in Wien,' for 1854, pp. 463-471, and 1855, pp. 479-482, Herr 

 Brauer, so well known for his biological researches on various 

 Neuroptera, records his observations on Ascalaphus macaronius, 

 with explanatory figures. According to him, "The perfect in- 

 sects fly only in the sunshine, very high in the air during calm 

 weather ; their flight resembles that of Zygcena among the Lepi- 

 doptera, but is steadier. In the morning, and in cold rainy 

 weather, they sit on stalks of grass with the wings folded roof- 

 wise. They are then difficult to see, because they notice each 

 movement of the observer, and turn slowly round the grass-stem, 

 so that they always maintain the same concealment. The time 

 of flight begins at the end of June, and lasts until the middle 

 of August. Pairing takes place during flight. The male seizes 



