308 



Crratfury at Natural ^t 



the last year of 40,0007., while in England 

 not more than six persons are employed in 

 this trade. A thciujuum, May 1. 1847. 



HELOPID.E. A family of insects be- 

 longing to the order Colcoptcra, division He- 

 teromcra, in which the antennas are inserted 

 near the eyes, and the terminal joint is 

 always the longest, covered at the base by 



the margin of the head, filiform, or slightly 

 thickened at the tip, elytra not soldered 

 together ; maxillary palpi, with the last 

 joint largest, hatchet-shaped ; eyes gene- 

 rally kidney-shaped. The larvae generally 

 filiform, with smooth shining bodies and 

 very short feet. They are found in old 

 wood, while the perfect insects are frequently 

 found upon flowers, or below the bark of 

 trees. This family consists of several genera, 

 most of which are exotic. Mr. Paget, of 

 Yarmouth, in his Natural History of that 

 town, mentions that the larva of the common 

 Helops violaceus injured the wood of a 

 window-frame very much, in which several 

 of these insects had taken up their abode. 



HEMEROBIUS: HEMEROBIID^E. 

 LACE- WING FLIES. A genus and family 

 of insects belonging to the order Neuroptera ; 

 remarkable for the exceeding brilliancy of 

 the eyes in most of the species, and for the 



LACE-WING 



delicate structure and varied colours of their 

 long reticulated wings; so that, although of 

 small size, they are very conspicuous. They 

 deposit their eggs upon plants, attaching 

 them at the extremity of along slender foot- 

 stalk, the base of which is fastened to the 

 leaf : thus fixed in small clusters, they have 

 the appearance of minute fungi. The larvae 

 of these insects are extremely ravenous ; and, 

 as they feed on the Aphides, or plant-lice, are 

 highly beneficial. During the summer they 

 arrive at their full growth in about fifteen 

 days ; they then spin a silken cocoon, in 

 which they enter as inactive pupae, and there 

 remain during the winter. 



HEMIDACTYLUS. A genus of Lizards 

 belonging to the Gecko family, in wliich 



the tail is depressed, angular above, with 

 cross rows ot spines, the toes being free. 

 The species are found in various parts of the 

 world, and will be found described in Mr. 

 Gray's Catalogue of Reptiles ; one species 

 seems to be common on the shores of the 

 Mediterranean. 



IIEMIPODIUS. A genus of Gallinaceous 

 Birds allied to the Quails, of which there are 

 very many species in Africa and Asia chiefly. 

 Colonel Sykes has described many of the 

 East India species. We must refer to Gray's 

 and Mitchell's Genera of Birds for a list of 

 the species and figures of the form, and limit 

 ourselves to the notice of a species figured 

 in the work of Mr. Gould, where it is called 

 the SWIFT-FLYING HEMIPODE. This bird 

 inhabits New South Wales, and is the 

 " Little Quail " of the colonists. The 

 male is little more than half the size of 

 the female. It breeds in September and 

 October : the nest is slightly constructed of 

 grasses, placed in a shallow depression of the 

 ground, under the shelter of a small tuft of 

 grass : eggs four in number. The Hemi- 

 podius lies so close as to be nearly trodden 

 on before it will rise, and, when flushed, flies 

 off with such rapidity as to make it very 

 difficult to shoot. 



IIEMIPTERA. An order of Insects cha- 

 racterized by having a horny beak for suc- 

 tion ; four wings, whereof the uppermost 

 are generally thick at the base, with thinner 

 extremities, which lie flat, and cross each 

 other on the top of the back, or are of uni- 

 form thickness throughout, and slope at the 

 sides like a roof. Transformation partial. 

 Larvse and pupae nearly like the adult in- 

 sect, but wanting wings. The various 

 kinds of field and house bugs give out a 

 strong and disagreeable smell. Many of 



them (some Pentatomidce and Lyi 

 Cimicidee, Hfduviadce, Hydrome.tr idee, Ne- 

 ptdce, and Notonectidce) live entirely on the 

 juices of animals, and by this means destroy 

 great numbers of noxious insects ; some are 

 of much service in the arts, affording us the 

 costly cochineal, scarlet grain, lac, and 

 manna ; but the benefits derived from these 

 are more than counterbalanced by the in- 

 juries committed by the domestic kinds, and 

 by the numerous tribes of plant- bugs, locusts 

 or cicadas, tree- hoppers, plant-lice, bark 

 lice, mealy bugs, and the like, that suck the 

 juices of plants, and require the greatest 

 care and watchfulness on our part to keep 

 them in check. The works of Burmeister, 

 Amyot, and Servilla, Meyer, Hatton and 

 others may be referred to for the species, 

 which are very numerous, and often most 

 beautifully coloured, the colour and odour 

 being by no means iu harmony. 



HEN. The general name of the female 

 among the feathered tribes, but more espe- 

 cially applied to the female of the gallina- 

 ceous kind. 



HEN-HARRIER. (Circus cyanetts.) This 

 bird is a species of hawk ; about eighteen 

 inches in length, and three feet in extent 

 from the tips of the wings extended. The 

 bill is black, and covered at the base with 



