'OLEOPTERA, OE SHEATH-WINGED INSECTS. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



COLEOPTERA, OR SHEATH-WINGED INSECTS. 



419. I NOW pass to the consideration of the different 

 orders of Insects, noticing particularly some of each or. 

 der. They are arranged in orders according to the char- 

 acter of the wings. They are chiefly the following : 1. 

 Coleoptera (/coXeoe, koleos, a sheath, and Trrepov, pteron, a 

 wing), Sheath- winged. This is the order of Beetles. 2. 

 Orthoptera (opfloe, orthos, straight, and irTtpov), Straight- 

 winged. This includes the Grasshoppers, Locusts, etc, 

 3. Neuroptera (vevpov, neuron, nerve, and Trrtpov), Nerve- 

 winged. 4. Hymenoptera (v/uev, humen, a membrane, 

 and Trre pov) , Membrane- winged, including the Bees, Wasps, 

 etc. 5. Lepidoptera (XeTrtc, lepis, a scale, and irrtpov), 

 Scale- winged. The Butterflies and Moths. 6. Hemip- 

 tera (/p<rve, hemisus, half, and Trrepo^), Half-winged, in- 

 cluding Bugs, Cicadse, etc. 7. Diptera (&c, dis, twice, 

 and Trrepov), Two-winged. Flies, Musquitoes, etc. 8. 

 Aphaniptera (afyavriQ, aphanes, not manifest, and Trrepoy). 

 The Fleas belong to this order. 9. Aptera, Wingless. 

 The prefix a in this case is privative or negative. The 

 common louse, sugar-lice, spring-tails, etc., belong to this 

 order. There are some other orders, which are small, 

 however, and of little importance. 



420. The order of Coleoptera, or Sheath- winged In- 

 sects, is the most numerous of all the orders. " It is 

 probable," says Carpenter, " that from thirty to forty 

 thousand species of Beetles alone now exist in the cabi- 

 nets of collectors ; and we may safely affirm that at least 

 as many more remain to be discovered." They are of 

 various size, some being very small, and others among 

 the largest of Insects. There are some that are five 



