166 EVENINGS AT THE MICEOSCOPE. 



exquisite structure, humbly exclaim, — " I cannot refrain 

 from confessing, to the glory of the Immense and In- 

 comprehensible Architect, that I have but imperfectly 

 described and represented this small organ ; for, to re- 

 present it to the life in its full perfection, as truly most 

 perfect it is, far exceeds the utmost efforts of human 

 knowledge." 



Here you may see the implement with which the 

 Bug performs its much-dreaded operation of blood- 

 sucking ; for though this is not the head of the Bed- 

 bug, but of one of the winged species that are found so 

 abundantly on plants, and which I have just obtained 

 by beating the hedge at the bottom of my garden, — ^yet 

 the structure of the mouth is so exactly alike in all the 

 members of this immense family, that one example will 

 serve for all others. 



From the front of the head, which, owing to the 

 manner in which this part is carried, is the lower part, 

 proceeds a fine thread, about four times as long as the 

 head itself, which passes along between the fore legs, 

 close to the body, beneath the breast. It is, however, 

 at the pleasure of the animal, capable of being brought 

 np so as to point directly forward, and even projected 

 in front of the head, and in the same plane as the body ; 

 a fact which once came under my own observation. I 

 found a Plant-bug {PentatomM) which had plunged this 

 thread-like sucker of his into the body of a caterpillar, 

 and was walking about with his prey, as if it were of 

 no weight at all ; carrying it at the end of his sucker, 

 which was held straight out from the head and a little 

 elevated. He fiercely refused to allow the poor victim 

 to be taken away, being doubtless engaged in sucking 

 its vital juices ; just as the Bed-abomination victim- 



