THE SEMBLID.E. 
365 
and galleries amongst the decaying vegetation upon which they 
feed. They undergo complete metamorphoses, and the nymph 
remains in one of the underground passages. The engraving 
represents a female imago of Panorpa communis laying her eggs 
in a hole she has made with her ovipositor. The perfect insects 
are flying over head, and the larvae and a nymph are in their 
galleries. 
There are some other Neuroptcra that undergo complete 
metamorphoses — the Semblidce. The perfect insects of the genus 
Semblis have wings with only a few transverse nervures ; their 
prothorax is rather long, and their antennae are thread-like. The 
wings are of a dusky colour, and the mandibles are very short. 
The perfect insect may often be seen on the borders of ponds 
and marshes, and it lays its eggs on the tissues of plants. The 
larvae go down into the water, and spend their time in chasing 
other water insects, or in hiding up in the mud. They have 
respiratory membranes joined on to the sides of the body in the 
form of gills. 
When the larvae have attained their full growth they proceed to 
act differently to those of the other Neuroptcra, for they come out 
of the water when their time for metamorphosis is at hand, and 
make a hole in the damp earth, within which they are transformed 
into nymphs. 
The last division of the Neuroptcra is often separated from the 
others in a distinct family, for its genera have their wings very 
peculiarly marked and constructed. The Caddis Flies, or Phry- 
ganidce } undergo complete metamorphoses, and present some 
resemblance to the Lepidoptera. Their wings have no cross 
reticulations, and are peculiarised by the presence of small hairs, 
which are stuck on after the manner of the scales in the butter 
fly’s wing. The mouth is useless, and its structures are soft and 
impervious. The antenme are thick, long,- and pointed. The 
caddis flies are 'numerous in species in temperate climates, and 
they are usually greyish- brown or yellowish in colour. The adults 
fly in the evening in the marshes and by the side of rivers, 
streams, and brooks. The females deposit their eggs in the 
water, and envelop them in a glutinous mass, so that the bunches 
stick to stones or aquatic plants. 
