40 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



groups or sub-orders to me seem pretty 

 distinct, but it appears best now to regard 

 them as each forming one order only, rather 

 than unnecessarily increase the number of 

 divisions. 



The general characters and points of 

 distinction were fully explained in Vol. I of 

 this Magazine, and a plate was given with 

 an example from each, so that I need not 

 enlarge upon their characters now, but for 

 those who have not seen the papers referred 

 to, the following brief notes may be of use : 



Hemiptera. — Usually divided into two 

 sub-orders — Heteroptera and Homoptera. 

 Both live by sucking the juices of plants. 

 The Heteroptera may be known by the 

 fore-wings being of two substances ; being 

 leathery for about two thirds of the length, 

 and the tip transparent. They are all small 

 insects, many being apterous. The Hom- 

 optera have the fore-wings of one substance 

 only, all leathery, as in the froghopper, or all 

 transparent as in the aphis. In all the early 

 stages of these insects they run and eat, and 

 are similar to the imago except that they 

 have no wings. 



Orthoptera. — This order only contains 

 a few British species, such as the grasshopper, 

 cricket, and cockroach. They are active in 

 all their early stages. 



CoLEOPTERA. — This Order contains the 

 beetles, which differ from all other insects 

 by having the forewings formed into a pair 

 of hard horny cases, which meet without 

 overlapping in the middle. The pupa is 

 quiet, and the limbs contained in separate 

 cases. 



Nemroptera, — This comprises two sub- 

 orders, some authors make three or four. 

 The Neuroptera proper, contains the 

 well-known dragon flies, the storm flies, 

 &c., with four transparent wings filled with 

 a close network. The other sub-order con- 

 tains the caddis flies, of which a plate will 

 be given in the March part of the Y.N. 

 The early stages of this order are generally 



passed in water. The pupae of some are 

 active, and of others quiet. 



Lepidoptera. — Too well known to need 

 description. The wings differ from all 

 other orders by being covered with scales. 



Having thus briefly stated the character- 

 istics of the different orders, I will now go 

 more fully into the sections of each, and 

 give my reasons why I think they should 

 succeed each other in the order given above. 

 Order I. 

 HEMIPTERA. 

 Sub-Order I.— HETEROPTERA. 



I have placed this sub-order first in the 

 winged insects, following immediately after 

 the wingless groups. This seems to be the 

 natural place, inasmuch as many of the 

 Heteroptera are either apterous or the wings 

 are only rudimentary, and in some species 

 which have wings it is often extremely 

 difficult to get a specimen with them per- 

 fectly developed. The structure of the 

 mouth in this order is similar to many of 

 the Aptera ; but mouth structure alone is 

 uncertain as a means of classification, as 

 almost every order has its mandibulate and 

 haustellate representatives, even Lepidop- 

 tera, which are all haustellate in the perfect 

 state, are mandibulate in the caterpillar. 

 I shall follow Douglas and Scott in the 

 arrangement of this order as being not only 

 the most recent, but the most learned work 

 on the subject. 



The Heteroptera is divided into two 

 great divisions : — 



I. Gymnocera, 



in which the antennae are inserted mostly 

 on the upper side of the head and the legs 

 formed for running or jumping. This divi- 

 sion is again divided into — 



(a.) Geodromica, 

 which contain the land bugs, or those found 

 upon plants, and which have the elytra 

 formed generally of several pieces joined 

 together, and the claws inserted at the end 

 of the last joint of the tarsi. This is divided 



