THE AMERICAN BOYS' BOOK 



OF BUGS, BUTTERFLIES 



AND BEETLES 



FORE TALK 



A FORE TALK ABOUT INSECTS, BUG-A-BOOS. BUG-BEARS, 



BUG-HOUSES AND HUM-BUGS 



HOW THE WRITER LEARNED THE LIFE HISTORY OF 



BEETLES— HOW HE USED THEM FOR HORSES. 



Among the little folk of this world known as 

 the insects, we find almost as many traits of char- 

 acter as we do among the human beings. We have 

 the idle insects, the industrious insects, the warlike 

 insects, the robber insects, the dead-beat insects, the 

 stupid insects and the intelligent insects. We also 

 have among them the low, degraded insects, dirty 

 insects, clean insects, the sluggish slow-moving in- 

 sects, the bright lively insects, the useful insects and 

 the beautiful insects ; all of them are interesting, all 

 of them in one way or another are of vast impor- 

 tance to man, and a study of their habits is not only 

 a source of fun but it is also a most useful study. 

 Besides which, boys, nature lovers live longer and 

 happier lives than ordinary people 1 



1 



