The chief beauty of the insect lies, however, in its eyes whicn, without the aid of a magnifying glass, look like two tmy beads of burnished gold, and have earned for the insect the popular name of Gtolden-eye, of which the Greek word Chrysopa is but a translation. But if the insect be placed under the microscope, and a brilliant light be directed on the eyes, a wonderful change takes place. They are very convex in form, and the hexagonal facets are marked with extreme boldness, considering the small size of the organ. They are so clearly defined, indeed, that even with a common pocket magnifier of low power they can be easily distinguished. ^ Were the eye to be simple brown or even black it would be a beautiful object, in consequence of these hexagonal lenses, but

over the whole surface of the compound eye plays a brilliant Every separate hexagon looks like a combination of colour. of burnished gold, changing with the shifting light framework hues of rich green and carmine. In fact, the into various

eye looks very much like a hemispherical brooch, entirely whole covered with emeralds and rubies. hard on the insect to expose it to this strong

It is rather to bring out its beauties, for it is a lover light, which is needed and only comes out after sunset, when it may be of darkness, aimless flight in the air. observed fluttering with apparently impossible to see the full splendour of this magnifi- But it is exposing the insect to some inconvenience.

cent object without is useless, for the colour departs alike from A dead specimen of the body, it is the most body and eye. As to the pale-green that an insect can possess, while the more fugitive colour eye vanish soon after the life departs, and gorgeous hues of the magnificent beauty. Would that very little is left of their once of preserving the too fugitive some method could be discovered insect. There is a specimen now before me tints of this lovely some forty-eight hours, and already which has only been dead green of its body is fading, and the fiery splendour the tender Lovely as is the insect to the eye, it of its eyes is quenched. most grievously, for it possesses a can offend another sense itself strongly to the evil odour, which attaches peculiarly it, and cannot be removed without many finger that crushes

""""ThTLlcewing-fly is allied to the Ant-lions, of which we have When m the larval representative in England. no genuine as is betokened by its large an state it is very predaceous, on aphides, of which it mandibles. It feeds mostly curved them of their jmces, and then devours vast numbers, draining bodies of its victims, so as to itself with the emptied covering from the Hchens among render itself scarcely distinguishable The neck of the larva is very flexible, which it mostly lives. any direction in order to seize

so that it can dart its head in in one minute, and is so

its prey. It can eat two large aphides larvoe meet each other they are

voracious that if two Laceiving is equally sure to eat t

sure to fight, and the conqueror These larv® are quick

vanquished combatant. more than a fortnight before they

and do not require much

pass into tlie pupal state, provided only that they can find an abundant supply of aphides on which to feed. When full fed the larva spins a cocoon, in which it passes into the pupal and perfect stages. Like the Ant-lion, to which it is allied, it packs itself up in a wonderfully small compass, for the cocoon is only as large as a sweet pea, and very much of the same shape.

The eggs of the Lacewing-fl^y are quite as remarkable as the cocoon. They are generally deposited on leaves, but, instead of being laid directly on the leaf, every egg is fixed to the end of a slender footstalk about half an inch in length. This footstalk is formed from a viscous matter secreted by the female, and is delicately white and translucent. Mr. A. Gr. Butler, of the British Museum, told me that he has kept Lacewing-flies, and often seen them lay their eggs. The end of the abdomen is first pressed against the leaf, and a tiny drop of the viscous matter deposited. The abdomen is then raised quickly, so as to draw out a thread, which becomes stiff and hard almost as soon as it comes into contact with the air. Then the insect pauses a little, and rapidly places an egg on the end of the thread, fixing it there with another tiny drop of the secretion. The eggs are always laid in groups, one of which is shown on Woodcut XXVII. Fig. a. Some specimens in my own collection are laid along a hlac twig, and in all of them the remains of the viscous drops are apparent in the form of a partly conical footstalk, much resembling in shape and translucency the foot and stem of a wine-glass. The eggs themselves are pure white, and, when viewed through a microscope, have something of a papery aspect. They bear a curious resemblance to the capsules of certain mosses, and indeed have been described and figured in books as specimens of British moss.

Another member of the same family is shown on Woodcut XXVII. Fig. 5. This IS called scientifically Oamylus chrysops, but I am not aware whether it possesses any popular name. This^ genus can at once be distinguished from Chrysopa by looking at the front of the head, in which there are three ocelli or simple eyes, set in a triangle on the forehead, whereas there are no ocelli in Chrysopa.

This IS the largest British example of the family, and.

though not so eminently beautiful as the preceding insect, is yet creature. The wings are translucent, with a glossy, a pretty very much resembling the surface of the iridescent sheen, skeleton leaves on which the Chinese artists paint varnished little pictui-es. The spots with which they are such exquisite are pale brown. The insect is tolerably common, variegated and at Oxford is plentiful on the branches of oaks. The pupa is to be found in the moist earth of ditch banks.

to the next order, it is necessary to say

Befoee passing the Scorpion-fly, or Panorpidse, which a few words respecting form a very marked family of their own. popular name from the remarkable con-

They derive their abdomen, the joints of which are almost formation of the of a Scorpion, and in the typical insect, the exactly like those {Panorpa communis), are terminated, common Scokpion-elt

the male, by a pair of small forceps, sufficiently strong to in felt on the skin of the human hand. When make themselves its abdomen about in so the insect is handled, it brandishes that I have often seen its captors hastily menacing a fashion thinking that it really must possess the loosen their hold, which it so well imitates. The pincers are power of mischief of the eighth segmentof the abdomen. formed by a development one, and can be taken by beating The insect is a very common hedges and underwood. _ genera of Panorpidfe— one to

There are only two British belongs, and which contains which the common Scorpion-fly named Borens, of which a single five species ; and the other, species is known, Borens liyemalis. _ being. It is a very tiny insect, and,

This is a most singular shaped body, bears a great with its long legs and peculiarly The form of liea , resemblance to a larval grasshopper. that it really belongs to rim is enough to show however, the wings are very sinall, useles Panorpidse. In the male, like Mr. Punch . project from the back something

for flight, and the wings are entirely undevetoped,

hump. In the female, is terminated by a long ovipositor,

and fhe body is no direct passage or ‘ »«dnct, so ^

constructed. There and then picked up between

the eggs must first be deposited,

the blades of the ovipositor, which open vertically, and not laterally, like those of the Orthoptera.

This is not a common insect, and, as if to add to its eccentricity, it chooses the middle of winter for its appearance in the perfect state. Hence its scientific name of Borens hyemalis — the former word signifying the north wind, and the other wintry. The males are rarer than the females.

Trichoptera.

I i

Trichoptera.

CHAPTER I.

There has been much discussion respecting the insects which

.ow come before our notice, some euLologists thlk l tW

Tum, sometimes abbreviated fnto" Cads “r ™ “ p'™’"'

Cockspurs, Cod-baits, GrannumsV&e and boTb^T’ and larval conditions, are very familiir to

In this order the Inglers” wings are four in number the fir.t • pnerally covered profusely with hair and the c large, and folded when at rest. The f t second pair with long spurs in some tine • ' • are furnished in the sein'd a;d tte May-ily, is qnite uXelopel'so^.tl^T’ ““ a have attained their perfect stal (1 ^ insects a ment. ^ take no nourish-

! It lives varwus materials, such as and, shells, and lell,\tkkl bftfof’^ even the opercula of w t ' taken within the distance of a few a I have ' aonstructed ; and I once took » ““a® ‘‘"■a »hich was a chrysalis of a^moT’r t Portion of Hop-dog—which had fallen into the ““mmon Its position by means of two b la ’“™ stains the tail. ^ *t»oked appendages at the end of

Having now glanced at the leading characteristics of the

ord-Gr^ wG will procGGd to morG dGtjiilGd GXciixiindtioiij und take for our typo tliG Great Caddis-fly {Fh'yganea grandia), which is drawn on Plato VIII. Fig. 7, and can be easily recognised from the figni’e.

In this genus the spurs of the tibiae are moderately and the wings are very heavy. The palpi of the developed, only four joints, whereas those of the female have male have five. The wings are very thickly covered with hair, so thickly under the microscope, they look as if they were indeed that, clothed with fur. The hairs are comparatively pale and small membrane of the wing, but dark, stout, and bristleon the

like upon the nervures. The body is similarly fiirred, and ^ are so densely haired that the divisions of ^ even the antennse quite hidden. It is on account of this profuse the joints are growth of hair that the name Trichoptera, or Hairy-wings, has been given to this order of insect. beauty of colour to be found in any

There is no particular the hues being in all the species nothing of the Trichoptera, shades of brown, the difference in colour more than various in most species by the greater or less admixture being produced of yellow. _ . tt Ti n of these insects are very interesting. Unlike tne

The habits on foot, and can run with a they are quick Lacewing-fly, even able to make their way upon the curious celerity, being of the water, over which they scuttle qmckly, using sm-face and the edges of their closed lower wings much exertion, them. They can even travel leaving a long track behind females are in the habit of crawhng under water. The plants nearly a foot below the down the stems of aquatic their eggs. If the plant to whic surface, in order to deposit tapped, they will at once they are clinging be smartly submerged plant. ibis swim under water to another

and them to fall victims to venous fish^

habit of theirs often causes midsummer find an unfailing supp y

which towards m the case with the Stone-flies, which have

As collects her eggs and carr

described, the female Caddis-fly the extremity of the body. The J^uster ri

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