32 NATURAL HISTORY OF INSECTS. 



of acute perception, and patient perseverance, it has, more- 

 over, no small tendency to lift up their thoughts to the great 

 CREATIVE BEING to Him who has designed the minutest 

 part even of the minutest object with reference to some partic- 

 ular use intimately connected with the economy of the whole. 



CHAPTER VI. 



THE IMAGO STATE. 



By far the greater number of insects, in the imago or perfect 

 state, are provided with wings. Some, however, are destitute 

 of these organs, and, as insects, often very closely resemble 

 their larvae, or pupa?. This is especially true of some insects 

 which are active during the pupa state, such as the Plant-lice, 

 and some kinds of wingless Grasshoppers. The pupa3 of the 

 later usually differ from the adults by having the wings 

 twisted, so that the thin upper edge is nearest the under side of 

 the body. 



The body of the perfect insect (Fig. 86) is composed of 

 three parts, the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. 



THE HEAD AND ITS APENDAGES. 



The head is usually of a flattened, globula r form. On each 

 side of it is a large compound eye (Fig. 90), consisting of a 

 great many simple eyes placed close together. Besides the 

 compound eyes, many insects have two or three simple eyes 

 (ocelli), which are usually situated on the top of the head.* 



The antenna? f or horns are two in number, and are gener- 

 ally placed below the eyes, but sometimes above them. The 

 functions which these organs perform are not distinctly under- 

 stood, but they are supposed to be connected with the sense 

 of hearing; this suposition is strengthened by the fact that, 

 in some Lobsters and Crabs, a distinct organ of hearing has 

 been found located at the base of the antenna?. 



* See Fig. 89. f See Fig. 103. 



