148 
NEUROPTERA. 
nearly equal size, with a great number of veins. The larger species have 
large red-brown or black blotches on the wings, the smaller have hyaline 
immaculate wings. The abdomen is long and slender, stretching be¬ 
tween the long wings which are held in a sloping manner over the abdo¬ 
men. The legs are comparatively short, robust and spiny, enabling 
the insect to cling tightly to plants. Males and females are similar in 
appearance, as a rule, the male sometimes distinct by the possession of 
two cerci. 
The life history of the known species is uniform throughout the 
group. The eggs are laid in sand or earth ; the larva that issues is 
flattened, the head large and flat, the thorax and abdomen stout. The 
head is elastically attached to the prothorax and has a large degree of 
motion. Projecting in front of the head are immense jaws, long and 
curved, which are made up of the true mandibles and maxillae combined. 
The slender maxilla lies in a groove of the lower side of the mandible, and 
the two together form an imperfect tube, liquid ascending between the 
two structures into the mouth. This is an adaptation which enables the 
insect to suck the blood of its victims and food is taken in no other way. 
The larvae live a free wandering life or live in pits in sand. The free- 
living ones lurk among vegetation and capture small running insects. 
They are a portion of the surface living insects which are so abundant 
in dense vegetation. Some species are common in damp localities, the 
imago found in long grass, the larvae living a free life in the grass and 
capturing insects. The most familiar species live in pits in sand ; the 
larva prepares these pits in a very ingenious manner. It commences 
by going round in a circle, moving backwards, its body making a furrow 
