172 MANUAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



will be most eagerly pursued ; they will be found 

 especially numerous in marshy places, where their 

 blue, green, and crimson bodies impart a brilliant 

 aspect to the scenery. The White- Ants (Termitidce), 

 though not so beautiful, are also important objects 

 of observation, from their being active agents in re- 

 moving decomposing matter, on account of the pro- 

 digious damage they do among the habitations of 

 man, and for the curious edifices they rear. 



The Hymenopterous tribes need only be referred 

 to as comprising the Bees, the Ants, the Wasps, and 

 the Ichneumon-Flies, to remind our travelling in- 

 quirer of the curious nests of wax and paper they 

 manufacture, and the stores of honey many of them 

 gather for the use of man. Among the Homoptera, 

 he will find in the course of his rambles the musical 

 GicadcB, the strangely-fashioned Lanthorn-Flies, the 

 Cochineal insects, manufacturers of a valuable dye, 

 the destructive Aphides, the curious Wax-Insects, 

 the useful Lac-Insects, to whom we owe shell-lac, and 

 the pernicious Scale-Insects so injurious to the agri- 

 culturist and the lover of flowers. Clinging to the 

 leaves, upon the juices of which they feed, or prey- 

 ing on smaller and more defenceless insects, the va- 

 rious forms of Hemiptera will attract his notice ; 

 they are extremely numerous in the tropics, and ex- 

 hibit not only wonderful forms but great and varied 

 brilliancy of colour ; when touched they emit a pe- 

 culiar odour, and some inflict a painful sting. 



The Caterpillars of the Lepidoptera will be ob- 

 served eating the leaves of various plants, frequently 



