CHAPTER III. 

 Class HEXAPODA (Hex-ap'o-da). 



The Insects. 



The members of this class are air-breathing Arthropoau, 

 with distinct head, thorax, and abdomen. They have one pair 

 of antenna, three pairs of legs, and usually one or tivo pairs 

 of wings in the adult state. 



There are about us on every side myriads of tiny crea- 

 tures that are commonly passed unnoticed, and even when 

 observed, they are usually thought to be unworthy of serious 

 consideration. But all life is linked together in such a way 

 that no part of the chain is unimportant. Frequently upon 

 the action of some of these minute beings depends the mate- 

 rial success or failure of a great commonwealth. The intro- 

 duction and spread of a single species of insect (the Cot- 

 tony-cushion Scale) in California threatened the destruction 

 of the extensive orchards of that State ; thousands of trees 

 perished. The introduction of a few individuals of a partic- 

 ular kind of Lady-bug (Vedalia cardinalis), which feeds upon 

 this pest and multiplies rapidly, soon checked the evil, and 

 has nearly removed the pest from the State. 



But insects are of interest to us for other reasons than 

 the influence they may have upon our material welfare ; the 

 study of them is a fruitful field for intellectual growth. It is 

 not a small matter to be able to view intelligently the facts 

 presented by the insect world, to know something of what 

 is going on around us. And so rich is this field that no one 

 gains more than a mere smattering concerning it. 



