H7-2 



INSECT. 



animal matter. Hero pursuit, search, or some equivalent 

 thereto, is necessary tor ensuring a due supply of food, 

 and hence we find that the predaceous tribes of'insects, 

 like their analogues among beasts or birds, are more 

 fitly organised for rapid movements than the lazy 

 inactive herbivorous species. If this be the case with 

 the perfect insects, there must be some other mode 

 of obtaining their food by their predaceous larva' 

 (especially since it is during this period that feeding- 

 is the great object of an insect's existence), which 

 are not furnished with sufficiently powerful organs of 

 locomotion. We have described the extraordinary 

 mask of the larva of the dragon-flies, which conse- 

 quently is an instrument applicable for such purpose ; 

 and the raptorial structure of the fore-legs of many 

 predaceous insects, the great strength of muscles by 

 which these organs are moved, and the many strong 

 spines with which they are armed, are in like manner 

 auxiliaries, supplying the want of powerful locomotive 

 organs. But there is still another class of predaceous 

 larvae which are compelled, in order to obtain their 

 own food, to resort to actual stratagems for this 

 purpose, which the more developed structure of the 

 preceding insects rendered unnecessary. The con- 

 structions of the spider, and especially the manosuvres 

 of the jumping spiders, so constantly to be noticed on 

 every sunny wall, leaping from a considerable distance 

 upon their prey, will also occur to our readers, but 

 which we shall more especially notice elsewhere. 



The larva of a somewhat rare British species of 

 the Liunsean genus Cimc\r (Redwnut persunatus), is 

 asserted to feed upon the bed-bug ; like it, it is found 

 in houses, but its appearance is so extraordinary, that 

 it is impossible to have the least idea that it is an 

 insect, were it not for its slight and awkward move- 

 ments. It covers itself completely with a coat of 

 dirt and dust, so that it more resembles a lamp of 

 earth. Nevertheless the antenna? and rostrum are 

 similar to those of the perfect insect, and enable us 

 to decide what it really is ; moreover, on touching it 

 with the point of a pencil, its coat falls off' at once, 

 which, however, the insect soon again renews. In 

 this dress it is enabled to approach its prey without 

 their being alarmed at its coining. 



There are, however, three species of insects belong- 

 ing to as many distinct orders, Colcoptera, Diptcra, 

 and Xcuroptcra, which in their larva state exhibit a 

 greater degree of instinct than any of the preceding, 

 by the construction of pitfalls, in which they lay in 

 wait for every stray insect which may be "hapless 

 enough to come within their reach. We' have already 

 described the burrow of the larva of the Cicindcla, 

 consisting of a long and tubular passage, at the mouth 

 of which the voracious larva stations itself, its head 

 just fitting the opening of this retreat with its jaws 

 expanded, ready to sei/.e on every passing insect. 

 The two other species referred to are the ant-lion 

 (Myrmelcon\ and a fly (RAagio vermilco). These con- 

 struct large funnel-shaped burrows in sandv situations 

 at the bottom of which they take their station, ready 

 to seize any ant or other insect which mav chance to 

 slip down the sides. The grub of the latter lies mo- 

 tionless at the foot of the burrow, and, snake-like 

 twines itself round its prey, piercing it with its stron- 

 hooks or mandibles. But the ant-lion is more wary 

 its form is most unprepossessing; it therefore buries 

 itself in the sand at the bottom of its hole, leaving 

 only us long curved jaws exposed ; and it has the 

 additional instinct, in case any of the insects which 



fall down the sides of its trap should endeavour to 

 escape, to bring them within its reach by a shower of 

 sand. We must, however, reserve our details of their 

 proceedings for the article MYRMELEON. 



The various modes of active or passive defence 

 adopted by insects, present us equally with many of 

 the most interesting phenomena of insect instinct. 

 Here we find Nature ever rich in resources, the 

 smallest as well as the largest objects of the animated 

 creation are equally beneath her care. We will run 

 through the various orders of insects, and notice a 

 few of the more remarkable of these peculiarities. 

 We find the predaceous beetles well enabled to de- 

 fend themselves, not only by the hard scaly covering 

 of their bodies, and the powerful organs of their 

 mouths, especially their strong and hooked jaws, but 

 also by the emission of a black and foetid fluid, which 

 is quite sufficient to ensure them from the attacks of 

 their enemies. It is this fluid, which is occasionally 

 volatilized on coming into contact with the air, that 

 the bombardier beetle employs when in danger, as 

 described in our article upon that insect. The pre- 

 daceous water-beetles also, by similar emissions, but 

 more particularly by their capability of flight in the 

 air, swimming in the water, or creeping on the land, 

 are enabled to avoid the attacks of enemies which 

 might assault them in any of these elements. We 

 have seen that many beetles, as the pill-beetles (lit/r- 

 rkidte), the death-watches (Anobium), and the mimic- 

 beetles (Huterida;), with many others, possess in a 

 remarkable degree the power of counterfeiting death, 

 by folding up their limbs and keeping them in a state 

 of inactivity. Other beetles, by the similarity of their 

 appearance to the sand or earth in which they reside, 

 readily elude our observation, as in many sand hete- 

 romera, The emission of similar foetid scents and 

 fluids by many other beetles, as the Silphidce, C/iryw- 

 melidee, and especially by the lady-birds, is a very 

 ordinary means of defence ; whilst the similarity in 

 the colouring of others to the leaves, stems, or bark 

 of plants and trees, is equally serviceable. The 

 threatening aspect of some, as the devil's coach horse ; 

 the rapidity of the movements of others, as the Hal- 

 tic(B, joined to their minuteness, all tend to the same 

 end. The larvae of the CastidaB and CriuccridtB cover 

 themselves with a cloak formed of their own excre- 

 ments, as described in our articles upon those insects. 



In the Ortlioptcra we find great locomotive powers, 

 as exhibited by the locusts and grasshoppers, whose 

 strength in leaping is known to every schoolboy ; but 

 there are other insects belonging to the same order 

 equally well defended, although their locomotive powers 

 are but slight. Here we are to notice the walking 

 leaf-insects and the walking stick-insects, objects which 

 to an ordinary observer would appear but detached 

 leaves or twigs rustling with every breath of air ; 

 but they have life, and Nature has given them their 

 strange appearance w ith a view to its preservation, by 

 deceiving those animals which might otherwise make 

 them their prey. Nothing indeed can be more com- 

 plete than the deception produced by these insects : 

 the walking leaf is flat, semi-transparent, narrowed at 

 the head, or stalk part of the leaf, the antenna form- 

 ing the stem, the abdomen is dilated at the sides, 

 notched, like the margin of a leaf, and, to complete 

 the resemblance, the wing-covers lie flat upon the 

 back, forming by their union a straight central line, 

 from which proceeds various oblique nerves, like tin: 

 principal veins of a leaf. In the neuropterous and tri- 



