56 NATURE STUDY. 



one order, leaving the scientists to continue the dispute 

 among themselves, although they do not seem in the least 

 likely to settle it. 



The veins in the wings of insects were formerly called 

 nervures, or nerves, and from the fact that the insacts of 

 this group have wings with many such veins, or nerves, 

 they were named Neuroptera, or " nerve-wings." 



The Neuroptera have long, slender bodies and large 

 wings, and of this type of insect perhaps the dragon-flies, 

 or " darning-needles," are the best known to the children, 

 by reason of the silly fear which many people have of 

 these beautiful and harmless insects. 



In woods and orchards, at this time of year, the pretty, 

 bright-green lace- winged fly, Chrysopa, or " Golden-eye," 

 is very common, and is almost certain to be found in the 

 collection. The may-flies, stone-flies and caddice-ilies also 

 belong to this order, and although most of them appeared 

 earlier in the season, a few will still be found by the brooks 

 as late as the middle of September, 



"We have now made very considerable progress in the 

 work of classification in one great branch of the animal 

 kingdom. We have learned that there are several types 

 of jointed creatures, as the millipedes and centipedes, with 

 many legs, the spiders and harvestmen with eight, and the 

 true insects with six. Bach of these types constitues a 

 class, and thus the insects are in a class by themelves. 

 The jointed creatures, taken all together, belong to a sin- 

 gle Bratich of the animal kingdom ; the insects, taken to- 

 gether, comprise what is called a Class — the class Hex- 

 apoda, or six-legged creatures. This class again, as we 

 have seen, is divided into smaller groups, called Orders. 



In separating the insects in our collection into piles, or 

 orders, we have found that all those in each order have 

 something in common which other insects do not have. 

 The beetles have wing-covers which meet in a straight line 



