4i6 



Marvels of Insect Life, 



rest of the wingless portion of their hves devouring the crops. Another species ^ 

 appears to have its headquarters in East Africa, from which its superabundant 

 broods, bihions in number, migrate in a northerly direction. Mr. W. L. Distant 

 describes such a migration of this species he witnessed at Pretoria in 1890. He says, 

 in his Naturalist in the Transvaal: " On the morning of May nth, our attention 

 had been directed to myriads of locusts flynig near the hills, and some few stragglers 

 were found in the town ; but shortly after noon the air was darkened, as swarms 

 only to be computed by billions came with a rushing sound over our heads and 

 across our path. The light was obscured as with clouds of dust, whilst to walk 

 through the flitting Insects remmded one of the driving snovvflakes at home, as the 

 pale hyaline wings and not the dark tegmina [wing-covers] are observable during 

 flight. Stragglers continually fell out of the ranks, and we heard them drop on 



the iron roof of our dwelling. . . . The 

 ground was thickly covered, and at sunset 

 most of the flight had probably settled for 

 the night. The heaviest portion of the 

 main body, which might be described as 

 the centre of the army, crossed us in about 

 half an hour, but the flight continued long 

 after and before. Their extraordinary 

 numbers could be appreciated by the non- 

 observable effect of their immense losses. 

 Myriads were trodden under foot, our 

 Kafir workmen collected them for food, 

 the poultry of Pretoria gorged themselves 

 on their bodies." 



The Story of the Butterflies. 



ri.cto by] [II". Bagslin-u\ 



The Tongue of a Butterfly. 



The so-called "tongue" of the butterfly is a very long trunk, 

 kept coiled like a watch-spring when not in use, but extended 

 for sucking the sweets of flowers. For the trunk is pierced 

 throughout its length, and is formed of two interlocking halves 

 which are seen_ partially separated in our photograph. 



Although in the butterflies and moths, 

 together 



which together constitute the scaly- 

 winged order "^ of Insects, w^e have the 

 highest development of the race so far as 

 beaut V is concerned, viewed from other 

 standpoints they are seen not to have the premier position. Indeed, in 

 none of the systems of classification of Insects, ancient or modern, is 

 such a position given to them. Such priority has usually been accorded 

 either to the ants, bees, and wasps from their superior intelligence, or to the beetles 

 from the perfection of their external parts and the superior mechanism of their 

 joints. But to the non-classifying members of the human race, poets, painters, and 

 moralists, the butterfly has been the Insect par excellence, probably because in this 

 type of Insect the phenomenon of metamorphosis was first known. The imagmation 

 was captured by the marvellous evolution of the magnificently painted and jewelled 

 creature, like a flying flower for beauty and brightness, from a " disgusting worm " 

 whose sole concern in life was to minister to an insatiable appetite. In this was 

 seen a picture of man, grovelling and of the earth, earthy, who, when his span of 



^ Pachytylus migratorioidcs " Lcpidoptera. 



