INSECTS 



807 



of many small eves, from 50 in some ants to many thou- 

 sands in a butterfly or draeron-fly. Between these com- 

 pound eves, from one to four simple eyes are to be found 



1138. Nymphs of the four-lined leaf-hue and adult of 



the tarnished plant-bug. 



The smallest one is the nymph recently hatched. The next 



is the nymph after the first moult. Ihe imago is 



shown at the right. Hair Unes at the right ot nytnphs, 



and small figure near imago indicate the natural size. 



in many adult Insects Caterpillars and other larvae pos- 

 ^„«^ni,K sm I 1 xHs It is tlj 3u_lit tl ti li facet of the 



D nil 



sects 



bees and ants hear sounds too shrill for our ears. In- 

 sects have no true voice, but produce various noises me- 

 chanically, either by rapid movements of their wings, 

 which causes the humming of bees and flies, or by fric- 

 tion between roughened surfaces en the hodv or its ap 

 pendages, thus producing the rispmg sc 

 ( lies of some crickets and grasshoppers 

 hums on P thus vibiatmg its 

 w mgs 33o tunes m a second, 

 while the wmg tone of the 

 hone> bee is \ I sualh tl u 

 miles tlei 1 1 ) ftl 



Insi t 11 t I tl 1 



mil t tl t 1 1 1 1 1 



the litiu„ .K the m k 

 mosquito doubtless heais the 

 song of his mate b> means of 

 his antennaj as the song 

 causes the nntennal hairs to 

 ■( ibrate ripidlv Organs which 

 are structuiallj eai like have 

 been found in vaiious parts 

 of the bod> of Insects The 

 common brown grasshoppers 

 ear on each side of the first 

 one can easily distinguish witl 

 brane or tvmpanum stretched 

 the long horned green gras 

 crickets ha\ e tw > sinul ir e 

 front leg Some think th it mo 

 of the perception jt the dueeti 

 developed than 



back to Its home In 

 sects aie doubtless 

 able to distinguish the 1139 Larva of a sphinx moth 

 color of objects and 



some Insects seem to prefer certain colors. Blue is said 

 to be the favorite c iloi ot the h( iiej bee and violet that 

 ef ants ants are also appaientlj sensitive to the ultra- 

 M det ia\s of light which mm cannot peiceive It is 

 generalh supposed that the shape and high colors of 

 flowers attiact Insects but recent ex- 

 periments SI em t) show that Insects 

 ire guided to floweis b\ the sense of 

 smell 1 ither than h\ sight 



The h ird outer skm of an Insect 

 has no nei\es distiibuted m it hence 

 It IS not sensitive but it is pierced 

 with holes in which grow hairs that 

 ere m connection with nerves at their 

 Ijase It IS by means of these sensory 

 hairs that Insects feel, and aie sensi- 

 tive to touch on most parts of the 

 bolj 



-^^l^.^ 



^V>'«^-^' 



th it min\ t them mike 



urally follow th et they 

 have ears to hear for 

 there is every reason to 

 suppose that thej make 

 these sounds as love 

 songs to attract the 

 sexes, as a means of 

 communication or possi 

 blytOexp.es, th, nemo 

 tions ^1 II I" 't 



3 



lA's"lnd 



IS on the til 1 1 ef each 



.quitoes have the faculty 



)n of sound more highly 



,ss of animals 



Insects undoubtedlj possess the sense of taste When 



phme or str\chnine was mixed with honey, ants 



peieened the fraud the moment they began to feed 



The sul tituti u t ilum foi sugar was soon detected 



to have a more delicate 



s' Taste organs have been 



and iieusualh situated 



ui the organs immedi itelj 



Blanj experiments hn-i e shown thatthi 

 are the principal oigms of smell i 

 Blow flies ant 1 lokroaches which hav 

 antrnna ipi \ 1 11 not attiacted 1 

 voiit t 1 111 Insects find 

 th .1 I 1 n ultj when 



del 1 1 I It nna> 



Tl t il 1 illv" ■ 

 rounds us ma\ be i totally difl:er 

 ent place to Insects To them 

 may be full of music 

 which we cannot 

 heai of coloi which 

 we cannot see of sen 



\hich 



Do In 



1140. Tent-caterpillai. 



not percer 

 sects thmk 1 1° 

 sonn\h5 I t I 

 actions are 

 the result I t 

 habit or mst 

 some of them 1 i\ 

 been seen to do things 

 which require the ex 

 ercise of instinctive 

 powers so acute and 

 so closely akin to rea 

 son that one can 

 hardly escape the 

 conclusion that some 

 Insects are endow t d 



powers. 



Tlieii- Nnwber, Si^e and Jje. -Experts guess that 

 there are from 2,000,000 to 10,000,000 different kinds 

 of Insects in the world. Only about 400,000 of these 

 have yet been described and named by man. Between 

 30,000 and 40,000 are now known in North America. 

 Four-fifths of all the kinds of animals are Insects |^ some 

 single families of Insects are said to contain r" " 

 cies than one can s 



leal-stalk and 



the parent 



that the leaf 



in a clear sky at night; and 



