NATURAL HISTORY. 



I. Coleoptera, or those possessing crustaceous 

 sheathing wing-covers, including all the beetles. 



II. Orthoptera, having the wings when at rest in 

 straight longitudinal folds, comprising such families 

 as the earwigs, cockroaches, grasshoppers,, and 

 locusts. 



III. Neuroptera, nerve-winged, characterised by 

 four naked, strongly reticulated organs of flight, 

 as seen in dragon-flies, may-flies, and white ants. 



IV. Hymenoptera, membrane-Winged, resembling the 

 Neuroptera in some respects, but with fewer reticula- 

 tions, and their organs of flight when in use are hooked 

 together along the margins, so as to expose a con- 

 tinuous surface. Another distinguishing character is 

 the appendage at the tail, in the form of either a sting 

 or an ovipositor. The chief representative families 

 are the bees, wasps, gad-flies, ants, and ichneumons. 



V. Lepidoptera, having the wings covered with a 

 scale-Yiks. powder, set like the tiles of a house. The 

 butterflies and moths all belong to this order. , 



VI. Diptera, or two-w'mged insects, embracing the 

 gnats, "daddy-long-legs," blow-flies, and house-flies. 



Less important are the Homoptera, which have the 

 wings of the same consistence throughout, as the 

 aphides or blight-insects. 



The Heteroptera, having the fore-wings coriaceous 

 (or leathery) at the base and membranous towards 

 the extremity. These comprise the bug tribe ; while 

 fleas belong to the Aptera, or wingless insects. 



Insects pass through four stages during their life- 

 time : the e£g, the larva, the pupa, and the imago 

 conditions. The honey-bee exists in each of these 

 states. 



