1C6 ELEMENTARY STUDIES IN INSECT LIFE 



all are wingless, the order does not include all insects 

 without wings. The term wingless, as used in reference 

 to the Aptera, designates those forms, wingless in them- 

 selves, and descendants of ancestors which at no time 

 possessed wings. Among the winged orders, wingless 

 forms are found. Such forms, it is believed, have -de- 

 scended from winged ancestors. 



The Fish Moth. 1 Of this order the forms which tlio 

 student will most likely meet will be 

 those frequently found in the pantry, in 

 dark closets and damp places. House- 

 wives frequently term them fish moths. 

 If an examination with a microscope be 

 given, they will be found to be covered by 

 shiny scales not unlike those of a fish, 

 and these scales frequently give them a 

 silvery appearance as they move away 



FIG. 126. A fish . . 



moth. (Leptsma when disturbed. They are sometimes 

 8p called bristle-tails, by reason of the three 



long bristle-like appendages at the caudal end of the 

 body. (Fig. 126.) While some forms live in the house 

 in pantries and in book-cases, or behind wall-paper, 

 feeding upon starchy substances wherever found, others 

 are to be found out of doors under stones and loose bark. 

 The Springtail. 2 - - The springtail is the common 

 name given to another group belonging to this order, 

 so called by reason of its ability to spring suddenly. 

 This power is given it by a tail-like organ attached to 

 the end of the body. This tail extends beneath the 



1 Suborder, Thysanura. - Suborder, Collembola. 



