PHA 



PHA 



genus of insects of the order Aptera. 

 Mouth with horny mandibles, the second 

 joint with a sharp, moveable, cheliferous 

 tooth ; feelers filiform ; no antennae ; two 

 eyes on the crown, and two at the sides ; 

 f.-ightlegs; abdomen generally rounded. 

 Or' all the insects in this order, few are 

 more repulsive than those of the Phalan- 

 gium genus, of which there are about 

 twenty species. Some of them are armed 

 with weapons resembling those of the 

 spider genus, but operating with greater 

 malignity. They differ in size, some be- 

 ing very minute, while others are equal in 

 magnitude to the larger kind of spiders. 

 This genus is divided into two sections. 



A. Mouth with a conic, tubular sucker. 



B. Mouth without a sucker. The former 

 is sub-divided into sub-sections, viz. a. 

 Four-feelers, the upper ones chelate. b. 

 Two feelers. In the latter, there are two 

 sub-sections, viz. a. Feelers projecting 

 incurved, b. Feelers thick, spinous, and 

 furnished with a claw at the tip. P. reni- 

 forme, feelers serrate ; fore- legs very long 

 and filiform ; thorax kidney-shaped : this 

 is one of the largest of the genus : it is a 

 native of the hotter regions of the globe, 

 being found in Africa and South America. 

 This insect is of a deep chesnut brown 

 colour, with a yellowish cast on the abdo- 

 men. All the insects of this genus, in their 

 various stages of transformation, prey on 

 the smaller insects and worms ; the lar- 

 va and pupa are active, eight-footed, and 

 resemble the perfect insect. To this genus 

 belong to the well-known insects, called 

 daddy long legs, shepherd or harvest spi- 

 ders, which, notwithstanding their com- 

 mon name, differ very considerably from 

 spiders properly so named. The most 

 common insect of this kind, in England, 

 is the P. opilio of Linnaeus, which, during 

 the autumn, may be observed in gardens, 

 about walls, &c. : it is remarkable for its 

 plump but flattish orbicular body*, and its 

 long and slender legs, which are general- 

 ly so carried, that the body appears sus- 

 pended or elevated to a considerable 

 height above the surface on which the 

 animal rests. P. cancroides : abdomen 

 obovate, depressed, ferruginous chelae, or 

 claws, oblong, hairy. This species dif- 

 fers considerably in size. It inhabits Eu- 

 rope, and is said to be the little insect 

 which gets into their legs, and under the 

 skin, causing a painful itching. 



PHALAR1S, in botany, canary grass, a 

 genus of the Triandria Digynia class and 

 order. Natural order of Gramma, Gra- 

 mineae, or Grasses. Essential character : 

 calyx two-valvedj keeled, the valves equal 



in length, inclosing' the corolla. There 

 are twelve species, of which P.canariensis, 

 cultivated canary grass, has an annual 

 root ; the culm i's from a foot to eighteen 

 inches in height, upright, round, striated, 

 swelling a little at the joints, at the lower 

 ones frequently branching ; leaves half 

 an inch in breadth, of a lively green co- 

 lour, the lower part of the leaf swells out 

 like a spathe, completely involving, and 

 protecting the head of flowers whilst 

 young; this grass is a native of the canary 

 islands ; it is also found in a wild state in 

 many parts of Britain. The cultivation 

 of it is chiefly confined to the isle of Tha- 

 net, where it is esteemed a profitable crop. 

 PHALENA, in natural history, the moth, 

 a genus of insects of the order Lepidop- 

 tera. Generic character : antennae gra- 

 dually tapering from the base to the tip ; 

 wings, when at rest generally deflected : 

 flight nocturnal. They fly abroad only in 

 the evening and during the night, and 

 feed on the nectar of flowers : the larva is 

 active and quick in motion, mostly 

 smooth, more or less cylindrical, and 

 preys on the leaves of various plants : 

 pupa quiescent, more or less cylindrical; 

 pointed at the tip, or at both ends, and is 

 generally inclosed in a follicle. This ge- 

 nus contains a vast number of species, 

 and is divided into assortments according 

 to the different habits of the animals : 

 these are, 



1. Attaci, or those in which the wings, 

 when at rest, are spread out horizontally. 



2. Bombyces, in which the wings are 

 incumbent and the antennae pectinated. 



3. Noctuae, with incumbent wings seta- 

 ceous antennae. 



4. Geometrae, with wings horizontally 

 spread out, nearly as the attaci. 



5. Tortrices, with very obtuse wings, 

 curved on the exterior margin. 



6. Pyralides, with wings converging- 

 into a deltoid, and slightly furcated fi- 

 gure. 



7- Tineae, with wings convoluted into 

 a cylinder. 



8. Alucitae, with wings divided into 

 distinct plumes. 



Of all the European species of the first 

 division, the finest, by much, is P. junonia, 

 a native of many parts of Germany, Italy, 

 France, &c. but not yet observed in Eng 1 - 

 land. It measures about six inches in 

 extent of wings, and is varied by a most 

 beautiful assortment of the steady colours. 

 The caterpillar which feeds on the apple, 

 pear, &c. is hardly less beautiful than the 

 insect itself, and, when ready for its 

 change, it envelopes itself in an oval web 



