viii Preface 



F. Kirby, Mr E. Saunders, and the late Dr J. R. 

 Schiner. 



My best thanks are further due to Professor L. 

 C. Miall for his generous kindness in lending a large 

 number of blocks used for illustrating " The Cock- 

 roach." Through the courtesy of the officers of the 

 United States Department of Agriculture, blocks of 

 many excellent figures from the publications of the 

 Entomological Division of that office have been 

 obtained. Permission to use two of these (figs. 70 

 and 149), which are copied from Curtis' " Farm 

 Insects," has been kindly granted by Messrs Gurney 

 and Jackson; while for four others (figs. 15, 3 1, 47 

 and 51) copied from Mr Cheshire's admirable work 

 on the Bee, I am indebted to the courtesy of Mr 

 L. Upcot Gill. I have also to thank the council of 

 the Entomological Society, Mr J. T. Carrington, editor 

 of Science Gossip, the publishers of Natural Science, and 

 of the Irish Naturalist, Dr A. R. Grote, Mr R. I. 

 Pocock and Mr R. Welch, for the use of various 

 blocks. The source of every figure borrowed or 

 copied is acknowledged in its description. 



The selection of material has been a work of 

 difficulty ; and a truly judicious and even treatment 

 of the subject would tax the powers of a veteran 

 in the science. Yet the writing of this little book 

 has been a pleasant task, and I shall be well repaid 

 if it prove, in any degree, useful to my fellow- 

 students of a delightful chapter in the great book 

 of Nature. 



Geo. H. Carpenter. 



DuBUN, May, 1899. 



