INTRODUCTION. 



ORDER LEPIDOPTERA. 



THE Butterflies and Moths, or Scale-winged Insects, derive 

 their scientific name from two Greek words Ws, a scale, 

 and vrcpov, a wing. They pass through four stages of exist- 

 ence : egg; larva or caterpillar; pupa, or chrysalis; and 

 imago, or perfect insect. In their perfect state they are dis- 

 tinguished from other insects by having four wings, always 

 more or less clothed with scales, and a proboscis, with which 

 they imbibe their food. More species of Lepidoptera are 

 known than of any other order of insects, except the Cole- 

 optera, or Beetles ; but it is probable that they will not be 

 found to exceed the Hymenoptera and Diptera in numbers, 

 when these orders have been exhaustively collected. 



We will first discuss the general characteristics of Lepidop- 

 terous Insects in their various stages, commencing with the 



EGG. 



The eggs of Butterflies and Moths vary very much in size, 

 shape, colour, and sculpture, as well as in the number de- 

 posited. Many of them are very elegant objects under the 

 microscope, though they are always, except in the case of the 

 Micro-Lepidoptera, quite large enough to be visible to the 

 naked eye, and those of some of the large foreign species are 

 not much less than a small pea. The insect deposits 

 4 



