ANTENNAE OF INSECTS. 



665 



Fig. 341. 



Insects ; often differing considerably in the several Species of one 

 Genus, and even in the two Sexes of the same Species. Hence 

 the characters which they afford are extremely useful in Classifica- 

 tion ; especially since their Structure must almost necessarily be 

 in some way related to the Habits and general Economy of the 

 creatures to which they belong, although our imperfect acquaint- 

 ance with their function may prevent us from clearly discerning 

 this relation. Thus, in the Coleopterous Order, we find one large 

 Family, including the Glow-worm, Fire-fly, Skip-jack, &c, dis- 

 tinguished by the toothed or serrated form of the Antenna?, and 

 hence called Serricornes ; in another, of which the Burying-beetle 

 is the type, the Antenna? are terminated by a Club-shaped enlarge- 

 ment, so that these beetles are termed Clavicornes ; in another, 

 again, of which the Hydrophilus or Large Water-beetle is an exam- 

 ple, the Antenna? are never longer and are commonly shorter than 

 one of the pairs of palpi, whence the name of Palpicornes is 

 giventothisgroup ; 

 in the very large 

 family that in- 

 cludes the Lueani 

 or Stag - Beetles 

 with the Scajtibcei, 

 of which the Cock- 

 chafer is the com- 

 monest example, 

 the Antenna? ter- 

 minate in a set of 

 Leaf-like appen- 

 dages, which are 

 sometimes ar- 

 ranged like a fan 

 or the leaves of an 

 open book (Fig. 

 341), are some- 

 times parallel to 

 each other like the 

 teeth of a comb, 

 and sometimes fold 

 one over the other, 

 thence giving the 

 name Lammeli- 

 cornes; whilst an- 

 other large family 

 is distinguished 

 by the appellation 

 Lonyicornes, from 



the great length of the Antenna?, which are at least as long as the 

 body, and often longer. Among the Lepidoptera, again, the conf or- 



Antenna of Melolontha (Cockchafer). 



