60 



that arejsometimes included in the same class with them, such as crabs, lobsters, shrimps, etc., 

 which breathe thruugh gills, and spiders, scorpions, etc., which have breathing sacs in the 

 abdomen. The hend of insects is distinct and more or less plainly separated from the rest of 

 the body, thus differing again from crabs, scorpions and spiders. In their larval or grub 

 state insects have, in many cases, a large number of legs, even as many as twenty-two in the 

 caterpillars of some saw-flies, but in their perfect or winged state they never have more than 

 six ; this limitation separates them from spiders, which have eight; Centipedes which have 

 from thirty to forty or more, and Millipedes or thousand legged worms, which have in some 

 species as many as two hundred. Another marked characteristic of insects is their wonder- 

 ful system of metamorphoses or changes of state (for instance, from egg to caterpillar, cater- 

 pillar to chrysalis, and chrysalis to butterfly), ending, in the great majority of cases, in the 

 acquisition of wings. A few other classes of animals undergo some metamorphoses,- in fact, 

 if we include the embryo state, all do so, — but none of these attain to a winged form. Again, 

 insects in their perfect or imngo condition uniformly possess a pair of those very singular 

 organs which we call feelers or Antenna (from the Latin Anlenna, the yard of a ship's mast), 

 and which are not possessed by any of the numerous members cf the spider family. Further- 

 more insects have their six legs, referred to above, very highly organized, with numerous 

 joints and applications to fit them for all manner of purposes, and very diflfereut from the 

 mere bristle like appendages of many worms. 



To recapitulate, the distinguishing marks of an insect are briefly these : — 1st. They 

 have their bodies divided into sitgments ; 2nd. They breathe through openings in their sides 

 (spiradts) from which proceeds Irachece or windpipes ; 3rd. They have distinct heads, with 

 joiuted ahknncc; 4th. \Vhen ;idult they have six articulated legs ; 5th. They go through a 

 number of metamorphoses, ending in a icini/cd date. 



These are the five grand characteristics of an insect proper ; any members of the animal 

 kingdom that do not possess them we exclude from the class, and omit from our consideration 

 in these Reports. Many authors, we are aware, take a somewhat different view of the limits 

 of the class of insects, and — regarding Spiders, Scorpions, Mites, Centipedes, Millipedes, etc., 

 as degraded f rms of insects — include them in their Entomological systems. As we all 

 agree, however, pretty much in our definition of an insect proper, it becomes merely a ques- 

 tion of technicalities rather than one of practical moment, whether we include or exclude these 

 lower and closely allied forms. For the sake of simplicity end of greater ease in imparting 

 information, we prefer to adhere to the limitations that we have laid down. Any of our readers 

 who desire to look further into the matter — and we trust there may be many — we would refer 

 to Dr. Packard's Guide to the Study of Insects as a convenient repertory of information gathered 

 from the works of all the leading authorities upon the subject. 



In the higher orders of animals — to quote an account that we wrote some years ago, — * 

 while the internal anatomy is wonderfully complicated, the outward appearance is compara- 

 tively simple and plain ; al! the works of the intricately constructed machine arc concealed 

 from view, a few primary crgans only being apparent to the sight. In insects the case is just 

 the reverse. The internal organs are few in number and simple in construction ; while the 

 external parts are ]jarticularly numerous, and marvellously varied to suit the special ends of 

 the almost infinite number of differing species. To the student of Entomology this is a man- 

 ifest advantage, as with the aid of a magnifier he is enabled to observe and note mosi of the 

 various parts, or trace out their special uses, without having to resort to the dissectioj of the 

 object. The great majority are on the surface, and if we give them a little careful examina- 

 tion and patient study we shall soon learn a great deal about them. The most obvious parts 

 of all inscct,,when closely examined ai-e: 1st : the llcuil and its appendages ; ind : the Thorax 

 to which are attached the wing.s and feet ; aud 3rd. the ylbdomin, which is composed cf several 

 joints or segments and which is usually terminated by the organs of generation, or a sting or 

 other instrument. 



When we look at the head of a quadruped, we sec that it is very small compared with 

 the rest of the body, and that it exhibits only a pair of eyes and nostrils, a mouth, ears, and 

 iometimes horns or tusks. A bird's head, again, displays still less, little more being seen 

 than a pair of eyes and a beak. l!ut take up an insect and examine its head with a lens, or, 

 if it be a large specimen, even with the naked eye, and what a complicated structure do you 



* Canada Farmer, April 15th, ]868,£p. 126. 



