774 [Assembly 
reaches nearly or quite across the wing, the same that it does in 
brevicomis, whilst the apex of the wing is hyaline, without any 
Yestiges of the dusky spot which occurs at the tip of the wing in Mr. 
Say’s species. This species, which I name the Two-banded Stem- 
eye (i Sphyracephala sub-bifasciata), was swept from grass at the 
base of the bluffs of the Illinois river, north of the city of Ottawa, 
the middle of last October. The Short-horned Stem-eye I first 
captured in Saratoga county, upon a cold windy day the latter 
part of May, between the leaves of the Skunk’s-cabbage ( Symplo - 
carpus fcrtidus), where it had probably retired for shelter—this 
being the same situation in which it was originally discovered by 
Mr. Say. Near my present residence, upon sunny days in the 
middle of April several were found associated with other flies and 
small bees, drinking the sweet sap of a newly cut maple, beside 
a stream of water at the base of a hill. It was more tame and 
less inclined to take wing when approached than any of the other 
flies. It seems limited to low shady situations, for other stumps 
upon the side and summit of the same hill, equally frequented by 
other flies, had none of this species. Near the same spot I once 
captured a specimen the last of October, resting upon a sand bank 
and basking in the sun. I state thesp facts thus particularly, as 
so little is known respecting the habits of this tribe of insects. 
The Two-banded Stem-eye measures 0.16 to the tip of its abdomen. It is black 
and polished, the thorax brownish, the head and antennas tawny yellow, and above 
on the middle of the head is a black spot. The legs also are tawny yellow, and the 
anterior thighs have a brown cloud-like spot upon each side, the anterior shanks 
being black. The middle legs have a brown band above and another below the knee. 
The hind thighs and shanks each have a brown band at tip. The wings are hyaline, 
with two dusky bands, the inner one short, as already described. 
Prominent among these insects which subsist upon and destroy 
plant-lice are the Aphis-lions as they have been termed. These 
are larvae of the Golden-eyed and Lace-winged flies, insects which 
form the Family Hemerobiid^e in the Order Neukopteha. In 
their perfect state they are delicate slender-bodied insects, most of 
them less than half an inch long, with four large wings beautifully 
reticulated with veins, resembling the finest gauze or lace-work, 
whence they have received the name of Lace-wings, and with 
prominent globular eyes, which in many of the species have a 
