170 APHIDES, SCALE INSECTS, PLANT-BUGS, ETC. 



includes the Aphides and Scale Insects, with merely 

 a slight mention of the four other orders, which are 

 much less important to us in this country. If we try 

 to give more than just a mention of these, it will in 

 this short space be more confusing than useful. 



These four less important orders consist of the 

 Heteroptera, or Plant-bugs ; the Ortlioptera, which 

 includes the Cockroaches, Mole Crickets, House and 

 Field Crickets, Locusts, and Grasshoppers ; the Eu- 

 jpUxojjtera, consisting of the Earwigs; and the 77??/- 

 saiwptera, commonly known as Thrips. 



The insects of these orders, as well as most of 

 those of the order of Homoptcra, which includes the 

 Aphides, commonly * change so little in appearance 

 during their lives, that from the beginning of it they 

 may be known by their likeness to the parent insect, 

 and usually are called by the same name. The 

 chief difference is that at first they have no wings : if 

 you will take a dead Grasshopper and pull off its two 

 pairs of wings, you will see that,! excepting in size, 

 it is very like the newly-hatched wingless ones, which 

 we should call lame, if we want to describe them 

 scientifically. This first stage, without any wings, 

 answers to that of the grub, or caterpillar, or maggot, 

 in the orders we have noticed. During this stage the 

 insects eat and grow, and moult their skins, just as 

 caterpillars do. As time goes on the wings begin to 

 grow ; and when the moult of the skin shows this is 

 taking place, then they are in the second stage, which 

 answers to that of the chrysalis. Like the chrysalis 

 of the Beetle or the Moth, thew'ingsare forming; but, 

 unlike it, the legs are in a state to use, and commonly 

 are used actively ; the mouth also, be it of jaws or a 

 sucker, is in working order, and very fully employed. 



* There are some exceptions, as with the Goccidce, or Scale Insects,, 

 and the AlcyrotUdcr, or Snowy Flies. 



t See Figs, of Locust, p. .'U ; Locust larva, p. 11 ; and Mole Cricket 

 and larva, ii. ld'2 ; all oi which belong to the same order as Grass- 

 hoppers, namely, Orthoptera. 



