TWO YOUNG NATURALISTS. 117 



who studies it. What is already known about insects 

 would fill large volumes, and to these every day, as 

 new observations are made, new chapters must be 

 added. But I promised to introduce you to a few 

 examples of each of the orders of insects. We have 

 interviewed the Aptera and Diptera, and will now 

 continue the series. 



"To the Hemiptera or Rhynchota belong the Pen- 

 tatomse, some of which may be met with in great 

 quantities in autumn on the raspberries and the 

 flowers of the mullein, and may be recognised by their 

 very strong and disagreeable odour. 



" This order also includes bugs ; the Reduvii, who 

 disguise themselves with a covering of dirt, so as to 

 approach, without being perceived, the little creatures 

 they feed on, a proceeding analogous to that of the 

 spider-crabs that I have already told you about ; the 

 Cicada, the Aphides or green-fly, the pest of our 

 gardens and trees ; and the Phylloxera, the ravager oi 

 the vines, called vastatrix by the men of science 

 (these latter, by the way, have not succeeded in doing 

 it any other harm) ; and finally many aquatic forms 

 the Notonecta, or water boatman, the Corixa, Nepae, 

 or water-scorpions, and the Ranatrae. 



" Now we come to the representatives of an order 

 with which you are well acquainted the butterflies, 

 in the naturalist's language, Lepidoptera, or scaled- 

 wings, a name that is perfectly well selected." 



