226 OUR HOUSEHOLD INSECTS 



beautified by the addition, on various parts of the body, 

 of minute iridescent scales (Fig. 72), similar to those of 

 butterflies and moths ; rows of them 

 adorn the wings, especially along the 

 nervures. 



A marked difference appears between 

 the sexes. The male can be distin- 

 guished by the extraordinary develop- 

 ment of the antennae, which, as fre- 

 quently in insects of that sex, are, if 

 one may judge from their structure, far 

 more delicate organs of sense than those 

 of his mate. The antennae of the female 

 consist of a string of cylindrical joints 

 like long beads, each provided with a 

 FIG. 72.- Scale of circlet of fine hairs of no very great 

 length. Those of the male, however, 

 while similarly constructed, have the brushes much 

 longer and more thickly set, especially at the base, for 

 the extreme tip is almost bare. In the photograph the 

 hairs of the female are indistinct, through their extreme 

 tenuity, and the charming symmetry of form and 

 arrangement which those of the male naturally exhibit, 

 is unfortunately destroyed, because the insects have been 

 preserved in balsam, and it is impossible then to ensure 

 that appendages so delicate should be spread out with 

 all the hairs in proper position ; no conception, there- 

 fore, of their great beauty can be formed from a specimen 

 so preserved. 



The greatest interest, of course, attaches to the pro- 

 boscis, for herein are contained the weapons of attack. 

 In this, again, the sexes differ greatly, and it is against 

 the female only that the charge of blood-sucking can be 

 substantiated. The male is an inoffensive creature, and 



