Lhe Last Stage of Insects. 81 
of larve change to pupz at once, the last brood, though 
the weather be just as hot, wait over inside the cocoon till 
the warm days of coming spring. 
THE IMAGO STAGE, 
This term refers to the last or winged form, and was 
given by Linnzus because the image of the insect is now 
real and not masked as when in the-larva state. Now the 
insect has its full-formed legs and wings, its compound eyes, 
often complex mouth-parts—a few insects, like the bot-flies, 
have no mouth organs—and the fully developed sex-organs. 
In fact, the whole purpose of the insect now seems to be 
to reproduce itself. Many insects do not even eat, only 
flit in merry marriage mood for a brief space, when the 
male flees this life to be quickly followed by the female, 
she only waiting to place her eggs where the prospective 
infants may find suitable food. Some insects not only place 
their eggs, but feed and care for their young, as do ants, 
wasps and bees. Again as in case of some species of ants 
and bees, abortive females perform all, or most of the labor 
in caring for the young. The life of the imago also varies 
much as to duration. Some imagos live but for a day, others 
make merry for several days, while a few species live for 
months. Very few imagos survive the whole year. The 
queen bee may live for five years, and Lubbock has queen 
ants which are thirteen years old. 
2 
INCOMPLETE TRANSFORMATION. 
Some insects like the bugs, lice, grasshoppers, and locusts 
are quite alike at all stages of growth, after leaving the 
egg. The only apparent difference is the smaller size and 
the absence or incomplete development of the wings in the 
larve and pupe. The habits and structure from first to 
last seem to be much the same. Here, as before, the full 
development of the sex-organs occurs only in the imago. 
