14 THE LAKYA. 



CHAPTEE in, 



IL The Larva. 



Tlie larva is the state of the insect immediately after 

 it is hatched from the egg, in which it eats voraciously, 

 changes its skin several times, and has the power of loco- 

 motion, but does not propagate. 



a. Several families of the lower order of the class of 

 Insectians pass through the larval state in forms closely 

 resembling the mature condition, but without the full de- 

 velopment of all the parts either in their numbers or pro- 

 portions — of such are the common millepede or " thousand- 

 legged worm," the centipedes, mites, the lepisma or 

 " sugar-louse," ^:>oc?^^ra or "spring-tails," the scorpions, 

 the phalangia or "harvest-men," spiders, and a few 

 others. 



But such as the grasshoppers or locust, crickets, cock 

 roaches, and many others, appear from the Oi^'g^ closely 

 resembling the parent in form, but destitute of wings ; 

 they change their skin or shell several times, till at last, 

 after successive moultings, the wings are developed, and 

 they assume the full form of the parent insect ; but as the 

 details of structure of these are much alike, we will omit 

 their consideration till we reach the study of the Imago. 



