69 



)rder Lepidoptera. Wings four, covered with very minute bran- 

 e scales ; mouth in the form of a long flexible tube coiled beneath 

 ! head when at rest ; transformations complete ; pupa inactive. 



)rder Hemiptera. Wings four ; mouth in the form of a jointed, 

 *ney tube, bent or turned under the breast when at rest. 



. Sub-order. Heteroptera. Upper wings horney and somewhat 



ckened at the base, the tips membranous and overlapping each 



lev ; under wings membranous, similar in form to the upper ones, 



; folded ; all resting flat on the abdomen when at rest. 



;. Sub-order. Homoptera. Upper wings of the same texture 



oughout, more or less membranous, not lapping over each other, 



; deflexed at the sides, like a roof when at rest. 



,)rder Diptera. Wings two, thin and membranous, and usually 



asparent ; posterior pair represented by minute knobbed bristles ; 



ath a short fleshy tube enlarged at the tip ; transformations com- 



te ; pupa inactive. 



lS will be seen, the Order Hemiptera is divided into two sub-orders, 

 account of the differences in the wings ; this will be more fully 

 wn hereafter when we reach this order. 



laving now explained what is meant by the term Order, and having 

 en briefly their characteristics, it Avill be ne'cessary for us here to 

 poduce some other terms used in classifying insects, also some scien- 



names of certain sub-divisions which will hereafter have to be 

 [uently used. 



s before stated, the great division of the animal kingdom called 

 iculata is divided into classes, the insects, all taken together, form- 

 one class ; these classes are divided into Orders. But the division 

 3 not stop here, for Orders are composed of Families, families of 

 era (singular Genus), and genera of Species. Or to reverse this and 

 strate : the common mouse is a species, the common rat another; 

 se, and several other species, belong to one genus ; the prairie 

 ise and a number of other small field mice belong to another genus; 

 musk-rat to another; these, and several other genera agreeing in 

 ain respects, form a Family. This family, the squirrel family, 

 ver, gopher, and other families agreeing in certain respects, are 

 ,ted into one Order, called Rodentia or gnawers. In the same way 

 sets are arranged in species, genera, families and orders. As a 

 eral rule all the species of a family have sufficient resemblance to 

 1 other to enable even unscientific persons, by a little study and 

 ■rvation, to associate them with reasonable correctness, and among 

 »cts they usually have somewhat similar habits, so that knowing 



habits of a given family, when we find a species belonging to it we 

 ■ a pretty correct idea of its habits. • 



THE FAMILIES OF THE DIFFERENT ORDERS. 



Slaving thus briefly explained the classification, I will give an 

 ine of the division of the orders into families, omitting those 

 are unimportant, and which we shall have no occasion to refer 



