1406 THE STORY OF THE UNIVERSE 



those of (i) the egg, (2) the larva, characterized by 

 the absence of wings, (3) the pupa with imperfect 

 wings, and (4) the imago, or perfect insect. 



The species belonging to the order Hymenoptera 

 are among the most interesting of insects. To this 

 order belong the gallflies, the sawflies, the ichneu- 

 mons, and, above all, the ants and bees. We are 

 accustomed to class the Anthropoid apes next to man 

 in the scale of creation, but if we were to judge ani- 

 mals by their works, the chimpanzee and the gorilla 

 must certainly give place to the bee and the ant. The 

 larva? of the sawflies, which live on leaves, and of the 

 Siricidae or long-tailed wasps, which feed on wood, 

 are very much like caterpillars, having three pairs 

 of legs, and in the former case abdominal prolegs as 

 well: but in the great majority of Hymenoptera the 

 larva? are legless, fleshy grubs ; and the various modes 

 by which the females provide for, or secure to, them 

 a sufficient supply of appropriate nourishment con- 

 stitutes one of the most interesting pages of Natural 

 History. 



The species of Hymenoptera are very numerous; 

 in England alone there are about 3,000 kinds, most 

 of which are very small. In the pupa state they are 

 inactive, and show distinctly all the limbs of the per- 

 fect insect, incased in distinct sheaths, and folded on 

 the breast. In the perfect state they are highly or- 

 ganized and very active. The working ants and 

 'some few species are wingless, but the great majority 

 have four strong membraneous wings, a character dis- 

 tinguishing them at once from the true flies, which 

 have only one pair of wings. 



