8086 



Insects. 



insect," he says ; and again, " the pupa-case puts the relationship of the Acentropus 

 beyond a doubt; it is clearly the chrysalis of a moth." — (Zool. 5919). The anomalous 

 characters of Acentropus are presented in its palpi and legs; the latter being destitute 

 of spurs, the former differing in the sexes. In the male one pair of palpi are very 

 conspicuous; in the female two pairs are distinguishable, both rudimentary, but one 

 much larger than the other. I will not venture to say in either sex which are 

 maxillary and which are labial, though it is an important point; yet to judge from 

 these organs alone, the insect should belong to the Lepidoptera, for they are thickly 

 clothed with scales, thus agreeing with that order only, and in other respects are 

 totally different from the palpi of the Phryganeina. I come now to speak, though 

 with more diffidence, of its relative position in the Lepidoptera. Mr. Brown presumes 

 its location will be immediately after the genus Hydrocampa; Zeller, according to 

 Dr. Hagen, includes it in the Crambidae. Now these families are remarkable for the 

 narrow and elongate abdomen of the males ; that of Acentropus appears to me more 

 to accord in character with Cheimabacche fagella; the thorax, in the manner of its 

 clothing and tippets, is similar to Epigraphia avellanella ; the form of the wings in 

 the male resembles Exapate gelatella, and the veining makes as near an approach to 

 this insect as E. gelatella does to Dasystoma salicella. These characters, then, 

 together with the form of its anal appendages are suggestive of some degree of 

 relationship here. — Benjamin Cooke. 



Insect Transformations : the Dragonfly. — I have lately been interested in the 

 manner in which the dragonfly enters on its winged life, and I have pleasure in 

 sending you a few notes that may not be unwelcome to your readers. My observa- 

 tions have as yet been confined to a single species, Agrion Puella. The larvae of this, 

 as of other dragonflies, subsist in their subaqueous life on various animal substances, 

 and are veritable little tyrants of the water. In June, or even earlier, they feel their 

 change approach, and pass into the nyinpha state, which differs from their previous 

 condition in the increasing transparency of the insect and a certain glow of colour 

 that tells so plainly that a further change is at hand. You will need to be an early 

 riser to see the imago emerge. The transformation begins soon after six o'clock. 

 The pupa may then be seen to creep stealthily up the stem of rush or sedge, and, 

 having found a suitable resting-place, it hooks itself fast by its feet, imbedding most 

 firmly its hinder feet in the stem. Here it remains for some minutes, till its case has 

 become perfectly dry. Then the evolutions begin : first there is a cracking 4>f the 

 case above the eyes, and the large lustrous eyes appear ; next the part immediately 

 above the rudimentary wing-case cracks, and the crack speedily extends itself towards 

 the head. The head is first liberated, next the thorax is evolved, but lest the helpless 

 creature should overbalance itself, and thus interfere with the delicate evolution of the 

 legs, Nature has provided it with four extremely elastic belts, two being attached 

 behind the neck and two to the region of the thorax: these serve as suspensory 

 bands to support it while disengaging its legs. It then seems exhausted with its 

 efforts, and rests in order to allow the parts already evolved to dry. This done, and 

 the legs having assumed firmness, it clings again to the reed, and very gradu- 

 ally draws forth its body, arching itself so as not to touch the wings, which are 

 limp and tenderly pliable. The wings very slowly and gradually assume their full 

 dimensions, becoming more and more gauze-like as they are developed ; the body 

 becomes longer, and in the course of an hour or so the dragonfly rises on its wings 

 and soars away. I brought iu several of the pupae in my botany-case imbedded in 



