Chapter VI. 



EATING INSECTS. 



The larger animals differ so much from one anoth- 

 er in their feeding organs, that Linna?us selected the 

 teeth as best adapted to distinguish his orders of 

 quadrupeds, — a circumstance which appears to have 

 led his celebrated Danish pupil, Fabricius, to fix upon 

 the analogous organs in insects for the same purpose. 

 But, confining our views only to insects which eat, 

 we shall find that the structure and form of the organs 

 in question are much more diversified than in the larg- 

 er animals. From the latter, the jaws differ in not 

 being placed vertically but horizontally. There are 

 two pairs of jaws, one above the other, with an upper 

 and under horizontal lip. The upper pair of jaws, or 

 mandibles {mandihulcc) , one on the right and another 

 on the left, usually resemble a large tooth, more or 

 less curved, and jointed into the sides of the head 

 immediately below the upper lip {lahrum). Their 

 substance is hard, horny, and of considerable strength, 

 and is usually more or less indented with projections 

 resembling teeth, but which make a portion of the jaw 

 itself, not being inserted in sockets like the teeth of 

 other animals. The under pair of jaws {maxilla:) 

 are inserted in the right and left of the inner cavity 

 of the mouth ; but their structure differs from the 

 upper jaws, being jointed and furnished with append- 

 ages, perhaps for feeling (palpi). They are protect- 

 ed below by the undei- lip, and the projection upon 

 which the latter is attached, called the chin {men- 



* V. Audouin, Resume d'Eutomol. ii, 52. 



