VI 



INTRODUCTORY. 



How Insects Eat. The jaws of insects (Fig. 4) are horny pro- 

 cesses situated on each side of the mouth. They are variously 



toothed, so as to 

 tear the food, 

 and move hori- 

 zontally instead 

 4. Different forms of jaws. of up and down 



as in the horse. The act of taking the food, especially if the 

 insect be carnivorous in its habits, is quite complex, as not only 



5. Mouth-isarts of the Larva of a Beetle. 



the true jaws, but the accessory jaws (maxillae, Fig. 5, a, upper, 

 6, under side of the head of a young beetle ; at, anten- 

 na;, md, mandible, mx, maxillte, mx^, labium) and the 

 feelers (palpi) attached to the maxillfe, and the un- 

 der lip (labium) are of great service in enabling the 

 insect to detect its food both by the senses of touch 

 and smell. The maxillae are in the fully grown bee- g Maxilli of 

 tie (Fig. G) divided into three lobes, the outermost ^ Beetle, 

 forming the palpus, and the two others forming sharp teeth, 

 often provided with hairs and minute brushes for cleansing the 

 adjoining parts; these strong curved teeth are used in seizing 



