432 
THE STUDY OF INSECTS. 
Not only are the legs of crane-flies poorly fitted for loco* 
motion, but they are so feebly attached to the body that 
they are easily broken off; however, the loss of a few legs 
does not seem to be a serious matter to one of these insects. 
Yet from what we know of the laws of development we are 
forced to believe that the peculiar form of the legs has been 
attained in order to fit them to perform better some impor¬ 
tant function. It may be that the great length of the legs 
is correlated with the unusual length of the abdomen and 
ovipositor, and enables the insect to oviposit in a better 
manner than would otherwise be possible. When about to 
lay her eggs, the female stands nearly upright and, bringing 
the abdomen at right angles to the surface of the earth, 
thrusts the ovipositor into the ground. After placing one 
or two eggs in the hole thus made, she moves forward a few 
steps and repeats the operation. 
Family BLEPHAROCERlDiE (Bleph-a-ro-cer'i-das). 
The Net-winged Midges . 
The net-winged midges are extremely remarkable in¬ 
sects; for in certain respects the structure of the adults is 
very peculiar, and the larvae appear much more like Crusta¬ 
ceans than like Insects. 
The adults are mosquito-like in form ; but they differ 
from all other insects in having the wings marked by a net¬ 
work of fine lines which extend in various directions and 
are not influenced at all by the veins of the wing (Fig. 506); 
they are, however, quite constant in their position in the 
species that we have studied. 
When a wing i$ examined with a microscope, the fine 
lines are seen to be slender thickenings extending along the 
courses of slight folds in the wing. The significance of 
these folds is evident when a net-winged midge is observed 
in the act of issuing from its pupa-skin. When the wing is 
first pulled out of the wing-sheath of the pupa, that part of 
