96 



THE UNIVERSE. 



a hmis naturce. So much was the old entomologist Geof- 

 frey struck with their singular form, that he gave them the 

 name of little devils. One cannot really conceive what 

 purpose so many fantastic appendages, so embarrassing to 

 their figure and movements, can serve among these fragile 

 tribes, for they are all of the smallest dimensions ! 



43. 1-G, ^Vlembr.aceje, mucli magnified. "Little Devils" of Geoflroy. 



If anything in insects smpass the diversity of forms, it 

 is the prodigious variety of colouring. Their mantles gleam 

 with the richest hues in nature. Their sheen can only be 

 compared to that of jewels and metals. The purest gold 

 and silver, the sapphire and the emerald, gleam on their 

 wings and corsages; their tints mingle and encounter, or 

 imperceptibly shade into each other. 



