ON LARVJE. 77 



ptera the eyes are commonly six in number, and no 

 instances are known in which that number is ex- 

 ceeded. The disposition of the eyes varies consi- 

 derably, but they are generally arranged in a circle. 



The Antennje, or horns, as they are vulgarly 

 called, which form so conspicuous a feature in per- 

 fect insects, especially Butterflies and Moths, and 

 many of the Beetle tribes, are far less prominent in 

 the larva ; still, rudimentally, or in a less noticeable 

 form, tbey are almost always present, and are gene- 

 rally situated near the base of the mandibles. In 

 Neuroptera indeed, that is, the Dragon-fly tribe, they 

 closely resemble those of the perfect insect; but in 

 most other orders this is by no means the case. 

 Sometimes they are so minute as not to be percep- 

 tible without the assistance of the microscope ; but 

 it would seem, as before stated, that they are never 

 entirely absent, as that accurate observer, Macleay, 

 discovered them in many cases where they were 

 supposed not to exist ; in fact, in every larva which 

 lie examined with a view to their detection. 



The Caterpillars of Lepidoptera, however, ex- 

 hibit them on a very minute scale compared with 

 the prominent dimensions of those of the perfect 

 insect ; yet there are some few cases in which this 

 rule is reversed, as in those of some of the Ephe- 



