288 PERIPATUS, MYRIOPODS, AND INSECTS. 



MYRIOPODA. 



Third Class of Tracheata Antennata. — Insecta. 



Insects occupy a position among the backboneless 

 animals like that of birds among the Vertebrates. The 

 typical members of both classes have wings and the power 

 of true flight, richly aerated bodies, and highly developed 

 respiratory, nervous, and sensory organs. Both are very 

 active and brightly coloured. They show parallel differ- 

 ences between the sexes, and great wealth of species within 

 a narrow range. 



General Characters. 



Like other Arthropods, Insects have segmented bodies, jointed 

 legs, chitinous armature, and a ventral chain of ganglia linked 

 to a dorsal brain. Compared with Peripatus and Myriopods, 



