



Produced by Chris Curnow, RSPIII and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
produced from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive)







Transcriber Note

Emphasized text represented as _Italic_.
Whole and fractional part of numbers: 1-3/4.




[Illustration: The Dragon-fly (_Libellula depressa_). A. Perfect Insect.
B. Perfect Insect emerging from the Pupa. C. D. Larvae and Pupae.]




                                 THE

                             INSECT WORLD:


                                BEING

             _A Popular Account of the Orders of Insects_;


                            TOGETHER WITH

              A DESCRIPTION OF THE HABITS AND ECONOMY OF
                 SOME OF THE MOST INTERESTING SPECIES.

                                  BY
                            LOUIS FIGUIER.


                            A New Edition,

          REVISED AND CORRECTED BY P. MARTIN DUNCAN, F.R.S.


                       WITH 579 ILLUSTRATIONS.

                         D. APPLETON AND CO.,
                             _NEW YORK_.




PREFACE


This popular French book on Insects has been placed in my hands in
order that the scientific portions of it should be examined and, if
necessary, corrected. This task has been a light one, for the book had
already passed through the able editorship of Mr. Jansen. But I have
added a short notice of the Thysanoptera, which did not appear in M.
Figuier's original work, and also the necessary information respecting
the evolution of Stylops.

                                      P. MARTIN DUNCAN.
  LEE, 1872.




                               CONTENTS.


                                                                  PAGE
  INTRODUCTION                                                       1
  APTERA                                                            27
  DIPTERA                                                           33
    Nemocera                                                        35
    Brachycera                                                      47
  HEMIPTERA                                                         90
    Heteroptera                                                     90
    Homoptera                                                      101
  LEPIDOPTERA                                                      138
    The Larva, or Caterpillar                                      138
    The Chrysalis, or Pupa                                         146
    The Perfect Insect                                             165
  ORTHOPTERA                                                       284
  HYMENOPTERA                                                      313
  THYSANOPTERA                                                     400
  NEUROPTERA                                                       402
  COLEOPTERA                                                       435
  INDEX                                                            523




                          THE INSECT WORLD.




INTRODUCTION.


It is not intended to investigate the anatomy of insects in this work
thoroughly; but, as we are about to treat of the habits and economy of
certain created beings, it is necessary first to explain the principal
parts of their structure, and the stages which every perfect insect or
_imago_ has undergone before arriving at that state.

We, therefore, proceed to explain, as simply as possible, the anatomy
of an insect, and the functions of its organs.

If we take an insect, and turn it over, and examine it carefully, the
first thing that strikes us is that it is divided into three parts:
the head; the thorax, or chest; and the abdomen, or stomach.

The head (Fig. 1) is a kind of box, formed of a single piece, having
here and there joints more or less strongly marked, sometimes scarcely
visible. It is furnished in front with an opening--often very
small--which is the mouth; and with some for the eyes, and with others
for the insertion of the antennae or horns.

[Illustration: Fig. 1.--Head of an Insect]

The integuments of the head are generally harder than the other
parts of the body. It is necessary that this should be so. Insects
often live and die in the midst of substances which offer some
resistance. It is necessary, therefore, that the head should be strong
enough to overcome such resistance. The head contains the masticatory
organs, which, frequently having to attack hard substances, must be
strongly supported. The exception to this rule is among insects which
live by suction.

It would be out of place here to mention the numerous modifications
of the head which are presented in the immense class of insects.

The eyes of insects are of two kinds. There are compound eyes, or eyes
composed of many lenses, united by their margins and forming hexagonal
facettes; and there are also simple eyes, or ocelli.

The exterior of the eye is called the cornea (Fig. 2), each facette
being a cornea; and the facettes, which vary in size even in the same
eye, unite and form a common cornea, which is represented by the
entire figure.

