4 



ORDER OF INSECTS. 71 



The divisions of Linnaeus are founded upon the presence or 

 absence of wings, their number, their texture, their arrange- 

 ment, and the nature of their surface ; and upon the existence 

 or absence of a sting. He forms seven orders.* -- \ 



I. Cohoptera. The upper pair of wings in the Coleop- 

 terous insects consists of a crustaceous or horny substance 

 These cover and defend the other pair, which are of a more 

 soft and flexible texture, and are folded beneath them. This 

 is the most numerous and best known kind of insects ; and 

 many of them are very remarkable for the singularity of their 

 forms and the beauty of their colors. It includes the various 

 insects known under the names of beetles, winged bugs, &-c. 

 They all undergo a complete metamorphosis. 



II. The Hemiptera have likewise four wings ; but the 

 upper pair is not of so hard a texture as those of the Coleop- 

 tera. They are more like fine vellum, and, at their extremities, 

 terminate with a membranous edge, which resembles the sub- 

 stance of the under pair. They cover the body horizontally, 

 and do not meet in a straight line or ridge, as they do in the 

 beetles. Insects of this order undergo only a demi-metamor- 

 phosis. Among them are found the grasshopper, the cricket, 

 the locust, the cockroach, and many kinds of bugs. 



III. The order Lepidoptera contains the various kinds of 

 butterfly, sphinx, and moth. Those of the first kind fly in the 

 day time ; those of the two other kinds only in the night. 

 They all have four wings, the structure and appearance of 

 which have been alluded to. Among them are some of the 

 most beautiful and splendid of insects, and they form some 

 of the richest ornaments of the cabinet of the naturalist. 

 They all pass through a complete series of metamorphoses ; 

 and their larvae, known under the name of worms or caterpil- 

 lars, spin webs for their covering while in the chrysalis state. 

 It is from the web, thus prepared by the silkworm for its resi- 

 dence during this dormant state of existence, that the silk 

 of commerce is prepared. 



IV. Neuroptcra. This is another order with four wings. 

 They are membranaceous, naked, and so interspersed with 

 delicate veins, that they have the appearance of a beautiful 

 network. The tail of the Neuroptera has no sting, but that 

 of the male is frequently furnished with a kind of forceps or 



* This account of the classification of Insects is taken principally from Smellie, 

 who follows Linn<eus, because, to the general reader, it affords, upon the whole, a 

 clearer view of the subject than could be presented in the same compass by follow- 

 ing the later and more strictly anatomical methods of other naturalists. 



