4-36 MODERN CLASSIFICATION OP INSECTS. 



noticed as inhabitants of India, China, and the Malay Islands ; twenty- 

 nine South American, and twenty -seven Australian species : only 

 two small apterous species have hitherto occurred in Africa. They 

 may be regarded as amongst the most gigantic of the insect tribes, 

 some of the Indian and Australian species being nearly, or even more 

 than a foot long. Thej' are not so much varied in their colours as 

 the locusts, being generally brown, green, or grey ; their wings are, 

 however, often prettily coloured or spotted. 



Various modes of arrangement have been proposed by Latreille, 

 Serville, and Gray, founded upon the general form of the body, the 

 presence or absence oi" ocelli or of wings ; but as the species are 

 entirely exotic, the discussion of the merits of these classifications 

 may be here dispensed with. 



Amongst these insects, the genus Phyllium of IlUger, comprising 

 the walking-leaf insects above mentioned, is certainly the most ex- 

 traordinary. The body is flat and very broad, and the legs are pro- 

 vided with leaf-like appendages. The antennae of the males are half 

 the length of the body, but those of the females are not half the 

 length of the head, and only 9-jointed. The males are furnished with 

 three ocelli, of which the females are destitute : the latter sex has 

 large wing-covers nearly covering the abdomen, with strong oblique 

 veins, which, when laid flat upon the back, have together the exact re- 

 semblance of a leaf; the wings, however, are wanting in this sex. The 

 males, on the other hand, have very short wing-covers ; but the wings 

 are large, and extend to the extremity of the body : moreover, this 

 sex is distinguished by two remarkable eye-like spots on the fourth 

 segment of the abdomen. These insects are of great rarity, and 

 inhabit the East Indies. Donovan has figured the female, together 

 with the female pupa, in his Insects of India, pi. 11. (new ed.) ; and in 

 the new edition (Crochard's) of the Rigne Animal, numerous details 

 are given of it ; but the insect figured as the male imago is only a 

 pupa. The perfect male of one of the species of Phyllium is given in 

 Griffith's Animal Kingdom, Insects, pi. 63. fig. 3. Fig. 58. 8. represents 

 the head of the female ; 53. 9. the front of body of the male pupa ; 

 58. 10. the antenna of the male pupa. 



