258 NATURAL ARRANGEMENT OF INSECTS^ 



Analogies of the Coleoptera to the Perching Birds. 



Orders of the . ,„ • Orders of 



Ptilota. Analogies. Perching Birds 



1. Typical. 

 Lepidoftera. {^"^Xtrc^l"'"' '""" °^ '^eir j i^^^^^,,^^^, 



2. Sub-tifpical. 

 Hemiftera. Sub-typical and rasorial. .Raptores. 



3. Aberrant. 



Hymenoftera. {^j°^""7"'''^''*"'^ ''«"«=^<='='']RAS0RES. 



CcEorrERA. I'^'llZfrl^n^rf. "^""^' ^""^ ] Graixaxobes. 

 Neuroptera. The most aquatic in their habits. Natatores. 



Every ornithologist is perfectly aware that the sand- 

 pipers, curlews, plovers, &c., all being types of the gral- 

 latorial order, are the swiftest runners among birds *, 

 just as we find the hares and mice to be among quadru- 

 peds : thus do they represent the coleopterous order of 

 insects, the types of which are the Cicindelidce and the 

 CarabidcB. An equally strong analogy, although not 

 brought out in the above exposition, can be traced be- 

 tween the lamellicorn insects and the insessorial birds, 

 in both of which the power, not of running, but of 

 ffra.9ping, is at its maximum. Take a Carabus in the 

 hand, and so soon as it feels itself at liberty, it runs 

 away ; but a chafer (^Melolontha), although released, 

 will absolutely cling to the fingers of its captor; such is 

 the power of instinct. The philosophic reader will not 

 fail to perceive, in all these analogous comparisons, addi- 

 tional evidence in support of our views, that, however 

 the Coleoptera may be regarded as favourites among 

 entomologists, they are, without exception, the most 

 imperfect of all the Ptilota; and that, instead of being 



• The half.flying half-running progress of the whole family of sand- i 

 pipers IS a precise counterpart of the progress made by the CicindelitUe, I 

 when hunting for their prey. 



