Fossil Insects. 



By \Y. West, L.D.S. J^ead February \\th. 



The subject I have the pleasure to bring before your notice this 

 evening is that of fossil insects, with special reference to those con- 

 tained in amber, but I must apologise for including some specimens 

 of another order, the Arachnida, as I think they will be equally as 

 interesting to the entomologist, although not coming within the 

 range of his particular study. 



This globe upon which we live and have our being has been 

 built up in successive stages or epochs. These epochs have been 

 classified by geologists into four large divisions. The lowest, and 

 -Jiecessarily the oldest, is called the Palaeozoic or Primary, then 

 follows the Secondary or Mesozoic, then the Tertiary or Cainozoic, 

 and finally the Quaternary. These four divisions are again divided 

 into various systems. 



The Palaeozoic contains the following divisions : — Laurentian, 

 Cambrian, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, and Permian. 



The Mesozoic is divided into Triassic, Jurassic or Oolite, lower, 

 middle, and upper, and the Cretaceous. 



In the third division, the Tertiary, we have the Eocene, Miocene, 

 and Pliocene, and in the Quaternary the Recent. 



All these systems are again subdivided into various strata, too 

 numerous to mention this evening. 



The earliest traces of insect life are found in the Devonian, or 

 old red sandstone rocks, and consist of a few broken wings of 

 Neuroptera (Pseudo-neuroptera), allied to Ephemera. In the Car- 

 boniferous epoch following the Devonian, ninety species, mostly 

 Neuroptera and Orthoptera, were discovered. An insect w-as found 

 in Permian strata intermediate between Neuroptera and Hemiptera, 

 and placed in a new order of the name Dictyoptera. Of the 

 Orthoptera more than fifty species are represented, and a few others, 

 referred to a special order by Goldenberg, and called Palreodicty- 

 optera, except five classed amongst the Coleoptera and three to 

 Hemiptera. These latter orders came on later. Only five species 

 have been found in the British coal measures. In the Permian 

 rocks (named by Murchison on account of being more developed 

 in the province of Perm in Russia) about thirteen species are found, 

 mostly in Germany, and consist of two Palseodictyoptera, two 

 Hemiptera, and nine Orthoptera (Blattidae). The vegetation of the 

 Devonian epoch consisted mostly of Gymnosperms and Cryptogams 

 and numerous Algce. 



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