Definition of the term insect. 5 



stotle distinguishes by the nature of their integument 

 and its contents) in any of the other classes into which 

 he divided animals without blood. It was on account of 

 this most obvious of their characters, that these little 

 creatures were in Greek named Entoma, and in Latin 

 Insecta ,• and from the former word, as you know, our 

 favourite science takes the name of Entomologij. 



Pliny adhering to the definition of Aristotle, as far as 

 it relates to the insertion of the animals we are speaking 

 of, expressly includes A_pods, as well as Aptcra, amongst 

 them a ; and in this was followed, without any attempt at 

 improvement, by all the entomological writers that inter- 

 vened between him and the great Aristotle of the mo- 

 derns, Linne. 



This illustrious naturalist, aware of the incorrectness 

 of the primary divisions of the animal kingdom founded 

 upon the presence or absence of blood, establishes his 

 system upon the structure of the heart, and upon the 

 temperature and colour of the circulating fluid. He di- 

 vided animals into two great sections or sub-kingdoms, 

 each comprising two classes. YWsJirst section included 

 those having a heart with tivo ventricles, txvo auricles, 

 and 'warm and red blood, viz. the Mammalia or beasts, 

 and the Aves or birds. His second, those having a heart 

 with one ventricle, one auricle, and cold and red blood, 

 namely, the classes Amphibia, which included reptiles, 

 serpents, &c. and Pisces or fish. I lis third, those having 

 a heart with one ventricle and no aurxle, and cold white 

 sanies in the place of blood, namely, his classes Insecta 

 et Vermes, including the Invertebrate animals of La- 



■'- Hist. Xat. I xl c. 1 . 



