466 
THE STUD Y OF INSECTS. 
The venation of the wings is represented by Figure 568. 
Vein III is four-branched ; cells V, and V, are both obliter¬ 
ated by the coalescence of the veins that bound them ; cell 
VIII is closed at a considerable distance before the margin; 
and the 2d cell III is much longer than cell V. 
The larvae, which are sometimes found in dwellings 
under carpets or- in furniture, are very slender, and are re¬ 
markable for the apparently large number of the segments 
of the body, each of the abdominal segments except the last 
being divided by a strong constriction. They are also found 
in decaying wood, and are supposed to be carnivorous. 
The family is a very small one. The most common 
species is Scenopinus fenestralis (Sce-nop'i nus fen-es-tra'lis). 
Family EMPIDID^E (Em-pid'i-dce). 
The Dance-flies. 
The dance-flies are of medium or small size; they are 
often seen in swarms under trees or near shrubs and about 
brooks, dancing and hunting. The family is a rather diffi¬ 
cult one to characterize owing to great variations in the 
form of the antennae and in the venation of the wings. 
The branches of vein VII coalesce with the adjacent 
veins (VII, with V 8 and VII 2 with IX) from the margin ot 
the wing towards the base for a considerable distance (Fig- 
569). In most of the genera this coalescence is carried so 
far that the free parts of the branches of vein VII appear 
