THE WING SYSTEM. 381 



THE WING SYSTEM. 



The illustrious Aristotle, almost the only genuine 

 naturalist among the ancients, seems to have been the 

 first who distinguished insects by their wings, — a 

 principle followed with greater minuteness, in recent 

 times, by Linnaeus and De Geer. Aristotle does not, 

 indeed, put his system in a tabular form ; but, for the 

 sake of brevity, we shall draw up a table, founded on 

 indications in his admirable History of Animals. 



Aristotle'' s Classification. ^9j^-^ ^ i f 



I. Winged Insects {Pterota, or Ptilota). 



1. With wing-cases — (Coleoptera). 



2. With coriaceous wings-grasshoppers (Pedetica). 



3. Without jaws — bugs (Astomata). 



4. With powdery wings — moths and butterflies 



(Psyc]\(E). 



5. With four transparent wings (Tetraptera). 

 Without stings, and larger — dragon-flies. 

 With stings — bees and wasps (Opisthocentra). 



6. With two wings (Diptera). 



Without mouth-piercers, and smaller — flies and 



crane-flies. 

 With mouth-piercers — gnats and gad-flies (Em- 



prosthocentra). 



II. Wingless Insects. 



1. Occasionally acquiring wings : — 

 Ants (Myrmices). 

 Glow-worms (Pygolampides). 



2. Without wings (Aptera). 



Linnaeus^ s Classification, /y A*7^ }*f^i 



I. Winged Insects. 



1. With four wings : — 



a, Upper wings more or less crustaceous ; the 

 under wings membranaceous. 



