574 INSECTS AT HOME. 



a very pleasant insect. Its odour is scarcely less disgusting 

 than that of its wingless relative, and, if captured, it has a very 

 unpleasant way of driving its beak into the fingers of its captor. 

 Under such conditions, it also emits a rather sharp creaking 

 sound, which is said to be produced by the friction of the elytra. 



Another example of the Eeduviidas is given on Woodcut 

 LXVII. Fig. 2. It is called Coranus subapterus. 



In all the Reduviidse the beak is comparatively short, thick, 

 and more or less cvu-ved. The head is so narrowed behind as 

 to form a neck. There are two ocelli, the eyes are very pro- 

 minent, and the terminal joints of the antennae are slender. 

 The legs are long and active. Many of these insects have the 

 wings only slightly develoj^ed, so that they come under the 

 category of ' imperfect perfect insects.' Such is the case witli 

 the present species, which has derived its name of suhcvpterus 

 (a most barbarous compound, by the way) from the structure 

 of the wings, wliich only reach as far as the third segment 

 of the abdomen. 



I really do not like to translate such a word as subapterus, 

 which is a repulsive hybrid between Latin and Grreek, and — 

 with all respect to the eminent entomologist who first manu- 

 factured it — ought not to be accepted in its present form. 

 What, for exampl. , should we think of such words as eight- 

 agon, twelvehedron, dreiangle, petitscope, telesseer, insectology, 

 etoilonomy, erdology, and so forth ? Yet there is not one ot 

 these words which is one whit more ridiculous than subapteru/^. 

 Should we be allowed to talk, much less write, of a hemiglobe, 

 an eggpositor, a chiudmeter, a baromeasurer, a virful deed, or a 

 meeananimous sentiment ? But, if we are to retain the one word, 

 there can be no reason why we should not employ the others. 



However, the name being given and accepted, let us see 

 what it means. The preposition ' sub,' when prefixed to adjec- 

 tives, gives them a partial sense. Thus, subiratus means 

 rather angry ; subdoctus, moderately learned ; subcandidus, 

 wliitish ; and so forth. But, in all these cases, both parts of 

 the word belong to the same language. Had the offending 

 entomologist used the word subalatus, or partly winged, no 

 one could have objected to it, as both words are Latin. Apart 

 from other reasons, it is a prettier-looking word than subapterui: 



