56 
NEUROPTERA. 
sideways, now hovering hawk-like. Beautiful as are all 
the forms of the perfect insect, the larvae of some of 
them are anything but prepossessing in appearance, 
while they are eminently blood-thirsty in their habits. 
The lame and nymphae possess a very remarkable 
weapon in their lower lip. The lip is very long and fur¬ 
nished at the extremity with a pair of pincer-like organs ; 
it is attached to the chin by a hinge. When the larva 
is quiet this apparatus rests against the under part of 
the head, forming a kind of mask. Should some 
small insect or other larva approach within distance, 
the mask is suddenly lifted from the face, the hinge 
opens in the middle so as to allow it to stretch to full 
length, and the prey is seized by the fangs ; the arm 
folds up again and conveys the prey to the creature’s 
mouth. 
Very curious, too, is the mode in which this Dragon¬ 
fly larva respires. At the extremity of the abdomen 
there is a sort of tail with five horny pieces, which the 
larva can open and shut. These pieces cover a valve 
formed by three membranous plates; on expanding 
these pieces the valve is opened, when a quantity of 
water is admitted into the body; the water is brought 
in contact with a peculiar apparatus which communicates 
with the tracheae, and serves for respiration ; it is then 
forcibly discharged through the same orifice, and so 
great is the violence of the ejected stream that the 
creature is itself shot forward to a considerable distance. 
When the nympha is ready to undergo its trans¬ 
formation, it creeps up the stem of some water plant 
and rests there for a time ; then the skin splits and the 
creature leaving the world of water appears as a perfect 
