PHRYGANEA is a genus of insects, of which
Barbut gives the following characters. "The mouth
is without teeth, but furnished with four palpi: the
femmata are three in number: the antennæ are fili-
form, and longer than the thorax. The wings are in-
cumbent; the under ones are folded."
The same author informs us, that the genus is divi-
ded into two sections: the first of which is characteri-
zed, by having two truncated setæ at the extremity of
the abdomen, resembling the beard of an ear of corn;
while the second has the abdomen simple, or without
appendices. The tarsi of the feet of the first family
consist of three articulations; those of the second are
composed of five. The wings of this section decline
from the inner margin towards the sides, so as to re-
semble the ridge of a house, and are curved, or turn up-
wards at their extremity. "This insect (says Mr
Barbut), before it becomes an inhabitant of the air,
has lived under-water, lodged in a kind of tube or
sheath, the inward texture of which is silk; outwardly
covered with sand, straws, bits of wood, shells, &c.
When the hexapod worm is about to change to a chry-
salis, he stops up the opening of his tube with threads
of a loose texture, through which the water makes its
way, but prevents the approach of voracious insects.
The chrysalis is covered with a thin gauze, through
which the new form of the insect is easily discerned.
The phryganea, on the point of changing its element,
rises to the surface of the water, leaves its tube, ri-
ses into the air, and enjoys the sweets of the country,
flutters upon flowers and trees, but is soon called away
to the water-side to deposit its eggs; whence proceeds
its posterity. These aquatic larvae are often found in
flagrating waters, where they wrap themselves up in the
water-lentil, cut out into regular squares, and fitted
one to another. Trouts are very greedy of these lar-
væ; which is the reason, that in some countries, after
stripping them of their coats, they make use of them
for fishing-baits."
There are a variety of different species of the phry-
ganea; but except the phryganea bicunda and striata,
they do not materially differ from one another, except
in size and colour. The bicunda is of a deep dark-
brown colour; having a single yellow longitudinal band
running across the head and thorax. The legs are of
a brown colour, as are the antennæ; which are also
long and filiform. Two brown threads, almost as
long.
Phrygia. long as the antennæ, terminate the abdomen. The wings, which are about a third longer than the body, are veined with brown fibres, are narrow at the top, broad below, and are as it were stuck upon the body; which they infold, crossing one over the other. This insect, which is met with on the banks of rivers and standing waters, carries its eggs in a cluster at its abdomen, like some spiders.
The striata is a large species, of a dun colour, except the eyes, which are black, and has a considerable resemblance to the phalena in the carriage of its wings. The antennæ are as long as the body, and are borne straight forward. The wings are a third larger than the body, having veins of a colour rather deeper than the rest. The feet are large, long, and somewhat finny. Mr Yeats tells us, that the perlae of Geoffroy, and phryganæ of Linnaeus, do not differ generically. It appears, however, from Yeats's experiments, that the phryganæ remain longer in the chrysalis than the perlae.
The lesser phryganæ very much resemble the tinæ; but, upon examining them with a glass, the former will be found to be covered with small hairs instead of the scales which adorn the wings of the latter.