184 



HINTS ON THE ANCESTRY OF INSECTS. 



are rudimentary, and there is no tongue, these organs being but 

 little more developed than in the caterpillar. Figure 213, B, 



shows the minute 

 blade-like maxilla 

 of the magnificent 

 Luna moth, an ap- 

 proximation to the 

 originally blade- 

 like form in beetles 

 and Neuroptera. 

 The maxillae i n 

 this insect are 

 minute, rudimen- 

 tary, and of no 



X^S&b, A service to the crea- 



ture, which does 

 not take food. In 

 other moths of the 

 same family we 

 have found the 

 maxilla longer, 

 and touching at 

 212. Head of Humble bee. t i ieir t i pSj though 



too widely separate at base to form a sucking tube, while in 

 others the maxillae are curved, and meet to form a true tube. 



In the Ce- 



cropia moth it x<^--' := ~"\"\ A 



is difficult to 

 trace the rudi- 

 ments of the 

 maxillae at all, 

 and thus we 

 have in the 

 whole range 

 of the moths, 

 every grada- 

 tion from the 

 wholly aborted 



maxillae of the Platysamia Cecropia, to those of Macrosila clu- 

 entius of Madagascar, which form a tongue, according to Mr. 

 Wallace, nine and a quarter inches in length, probably to enable 



213. Mouth-parts of Moths. 



