374 ON THE ORDERS 



here over his successor in the science ; for while it is im- 

 possible to connect Melipona with Papilio, or indeed any 

 Hymenopterous insect directly with the Lepidoptera, it is 

 undoubtedly true that these last have their natural situa- 

 tion between the Linn^an Hemiptera and I^europtera ; 

 due regard being always paid to the manner in which these 

 orders were originally defined. Unfortunately for Lin- 

 naeus, however, the arrangement he pursues in detail does 

 not give us the least reason to suspect that he merits any 

 praise for this position of the Lepidoptera. At the period 

 when his work was published the Trichoptera formed part 

 of the Neuroptera, and the Homoptera part of the He- 

 miptera; if therefore in the Sy sterna Naturce we could 

 find Phryganea the first genus of the 'Neuroptera, or Ci- 

 cada nearly the last of the Hemiptera, we might conclude 

 that Linnseus had discovered the natural affinities of these 

 insects. But there is not even a semblance of such dis- 

 position in his work, and to all appearance it was by the 

 merest hazard that he pitched the Lepidoptera on the 

 place which they occupy in his system. 



On examining the characters given in the JRegwe^wimaZ 

 to the Lepidopterous insects, we are informed that they 

 present to the eye two peculiarities which belong to them 

 exclusively. The first is, that " les ailes soiit recouvertes 

 sur leurs deux surfaces de petites ecailles colorees, sembla- 

 hles a une poussitre farineuse et qui s'enleve a toucher;" 

 the second, " une irompe a laquelle on a donne le nam 

 de langue rouUe en spirale." We ought to commence 

 our investigation, therefore, by inquiring whether there are 

 any other tetrapterous Insects among the Haiistellata, 

 which have their wings covered with a farinaceous poAvder ; 

 and if there should be any such, it is clear that they pos- 



