MEMOIR OF ARISTOTLE. /Ill 



such. His idea of Hemiptera seems taken solely 

 from the Cicada or Tettix; but the manner in which 

 he expresses himself concerning it, as having no 

 mouth, but furnished instead with a linguiform or- 

 gan resembling the proboscis of Diptera, proves 

 that he regarded it as the type of a distinct group. 

 Since he considers the saltatorious Orlhoptera as 

 forming such a group, it is probable that he included 

 the cursorious ones with the Neuroptera in his ma- 

 jora section of Tetraptera ; and the resemblance of 

 many of the Mantidts to the Neuroptera is so great, 

 that this mistake would not be wonderful. His di- 

 vision of the Diptera is quite artificial. 



" How far Aristotle's ideas with regard to genera 

 and species attained to any degree of precision, is 

 not easily ascertained : in other respects, his know- 

 ledge of insects was more evident. As to their ana- 

 tomy, he observes that their body is usually divided 

 into three primary segments head, trunk, and ab- 

 domen; that they have an intestinal canal in some 

 straight and simple, in others contorted extending 

 from the mouth to the anus ; that the Orthoptera 

 have a ventricle or gizzard. He had noticed the 

 drums of Cicada, and that the males only are vocal. 

 Other instances of the accurate observation of this 

 great man might be adduced, but enough has been 

 said to justify the above encomiums. His principal 

 error was that of equivocal generation *." 



* Introduction to Entomology by Kirby and Spence, 

 vol. iv. p. 433-434 



