5S8 A ]l T I C U L A T A. 



comes in their way. Even solid wood is incapable of resisting; their ravages, for they will gnaw away 

 tin- interior ofla'anis and articles of t'lirnitiire, leaving a thin shell to conceal their operations, so 

 that the mischief is not discovered until, from its weakness, the object falls to pieces on being 

 touched. Aceoriliiig to Latreillc these insects consist of five classes of individuals. Of these, two 

 are undoubtedly males and females, which at first appear to be exactly similar, and are furnished 

 with i'our nearly equal wings. After impregnation the abdomen of the female increases vastly in 

 size, from the immense number of eggs contained, which are so numerous that it is said as many as 

 eighty thousand are sometimes laid by one female in the course of twenty-four hours. The 

 great bulk of the conmnmity is I'omposed of apterous individuals, supposed to be larva?, which 

 closely resemble the winged insects, but are destitute of eyes and ocelli. These arc the W(»-kn-s, 

 and upt>n them all the labor of the community devolves. Other apterous individuals, apparently 

 pupa\ resemble the workers, but have four tubercular wing-cases on the thorax ; while others, 

 distinguished by the large size of their jaws, and which appear to be neuters, are called Soldiers, 

 their ofllce, apparently, being the defense of the community against the assaults of enemies. 

 The habitations raised by these diminutive creatures are among the most surprising of insect 

 ed dices. They are usually built upon the ground, but sometimes among the branches of trees^ 

 whence they connnunicate with the ground by a long gallery, twining round the branches and 

 trunk of the tree. Those built on the ground are of various forms, though the most common 

 shape is that of an irregular cone. These nests are frequently ten or twelve f«et in height, 

 built of earthy particles, which the workers masticate, and then apply to this purpose. They 

 speeddy dry, and become very hard. The nest is divided internally into numerous chambers 

 and galleries, in one of which the female or queen is imprisoned, waited upon obsequiously 

 by a numerous train of attendants, whose apartments are in the immediate vicinity of the royal 

 chamber. These attendants carry off the eggs, as soon as laid, into separate chambers or nurs- 

 eries, where the young produced from them are tended with the greatest care by the workers. 

 The interior of the nest forms a large dome, with thick wall, within which there are usually two 

 or three roofs ; the walls are perforated by passages leading from the bottom of the nest to the 

 magazines and nurseries placed in its sides, which also frequently communicate with the ground- 

 floor by small earthen bridges. 



Other species, although differing in details, follow the same general principles in the construc- 

 tion of their nests. 



ORDER 8. ORTHOPTERA. 



This word is from the Greek orlhos, straight, and jjtera, wings, and hence these are called 

 Straight-ivinged Insects. The order includes a great number of familiar species, most of which 

 we must treat very briefly. 



THE FORFICULINA. 



This includes the Earwig, Forficula, which appears to live principally upon vegetable sub- 

 stances. As this tribe often attack the petals of flowers, they are regarded as enemies by the gar- 

 dener. Tliey are nocturnal in their habits, creeping into crevices at the approach of day. It is 

 this instinct that prompts them to take shelter in the flower-pots and other hollow objects 

 usually placed as traps among the flowers which are subject to their ravages. It appears to 

 be a common belief almost everywhere that the Earwig creeps into the ears of persons sleep- 

 ing in the open air, passes thence into the brain, and causes death, Ridicidous as this fancy 

 is, it appears to have furnished the name for the Earwig in almost all languages. The female 

 usually scoops out a hollow in the earth, in which she lays a small mass of eggs; these she 

 watches over with great assiduity until they arc hatched, when she continues to display the 

 same affection for tlie new-born young. 



THE BLATTINA. 



This includes the Cockroaches, the most noted species of which, the Black Beetle or Com- 

 mon Cockroach, Blatta Orientalis, often swarms to such an extent in houses as to be a com- 



