Economy of Hisjpa. 141 



tinguished from A, furticosa, by its different colored 



flowers ; shorter pedicels ; spikes shorter, more pubescent, 

 and less attenuated ; a calyx at base ; shorter stamens : 

 and smaller and more numerous leaflets. 



* 



t 



ART. IX.— UPON THE ECONOMY OF SOME AMERICAN 

 SPECIES OF HISPA. By T. W. Harris, M. D. Read Feb. 

 18,1835. 



It is the peculiar province of the naturalist to investi- 

 gate the habits and economy of animals. The discovery 

 of these does infinitely more towards the advancement of 

 a science founded wholly upon observation, than the mere 

 description of new species. This is more especially true 

 in entomology, in w^hich, such has been the cupidity and 

 vanity of collectors, that the legitimate objects of the 

 science, the habits, uses, and stations of insects in the 

 system of nature, have been neglected for the acquisition 

 and description of species, the indication of new genera, 

 and the qoining of an immense number of new and pedan- 

 tic terms, in a science whose nomenclature is already 

 overburdened. If the foreraing remarks be founded in 

 fact, no apology will be necessary for the appearance of 

 the present paper in the pages of this journal. 



Hitherto the larva and pupa of Hispa, and their man- 

 ner of living, have been unknown ; after they have been 

 described, it will remain for the makers of systems to 

 assign to this genus of insects its proper place- 

 Mr. Kirby, in treating of that fanciful theory abound- 

 ing in hard names, the supposed analogy or correspond- 

 ence between the forms of larvae and those of other ani- 



VOL. I. PART IK 19 



