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[Illustration:

  Cyphocrania Goliath (reduced).      [_Frontispiece._]




                        THE YOUNG COLLECTOR'S

                               HANDBOOK

                                  OF

                  Ants, Bees, Dragon Flies, Earwigs,
                          Crickets, and Flies

              (_HYMENOPTERA_, _NEUROPTERA_, _ORTHOPTERA_,
                       _HEMIPTERA_, _DIPTERA_).


                                  BY

                           W. HARCOURT BATH.


                       [Illustration: colophon]

                            SECOND EDITION.


                                LONDON:
                       SWAN SONNENSCHEIN & CO.,
                          PATERNOSTER SQUARE.

                                 1890.




Printed by Hazell, Watson, & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury.




PREFACE.


Most boys have a fondness for forming collections of various objects,
such as Foreign Stamps, Crests, and Coins; but very few comparatively
collect Natural Objects. Now it will be admitted by all that the
collecting of Natural Objects, such as Insects, Shells, Plants,
Fossils, Minerals, etc., possesses immense advantages over that of
Foreign Stamps and the like; for the former, besides satisfying the
collecting ambitions, also cultivates the observant and intellectual
faculties, while at the same time affording healthful recreation in the
fields and woods.

Again, a mere collector's province may be exhausted in a few years,
whereas the study and observation of Natural History, which are
the usual "fruits" of collecting Natural Objects, are practically
inexhaustible.

Another great advantage which Natural History possesses, is that it
may be prosecuted with very little expense, and is therefore a subject
which even the poorest person may conveniently undertake.

This little handbook is intended to be a "Guide to Collecting Insects,"
which by way of Natural History, we may remark, is becoming more
popular every day in this country. Hitherto, however, there have been
very few books published on Entomology for beginners, but for those who
wish to go more deeply into the subject than the present brief manual
can pretend, we would strongly recommend them to obtain Mr. Kirby's
excellent illustrated "Text-Book of Entomology" (Swan Sonnenschein
& Co.), to which work we are greatly indebted for much valuable and
interesting information.




CONTENTS


                       PAGE

  INTRODUCTION            9

  ORDER HYMENOPTERA      13

  ORDER NEUROPTERA       34

  ORDER ORTHOPTERA       52

  ORDER HEMIPTERA        64

  ORDER DIPTERA          86




THE YOUNG COLLECTOR'S HANDBOOK

OF

Ants, Bees, Dragon Flies, Earwigs, Crickets and Flies.




INTRODUCTION.


By the Linnæan system insects are divided into seven great Natural
Orders--namely, Coleoptera, Orthoptera, Neuroptera, Hymenoptera,
Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, and Diptera.

Of these, the Lepidoptera or Butterflies and Moths, and the Coleoptera
or Beetles, have hitherto received the lion's share of attention,
though this is less exclusively the case than it was some few years ago.

Any one who wishes to commence the study of these two orders now will
have to work very hard indeed before he can hope to put anything new
on record concerning them. There is, however, a very wide field for
research and discovery open to all who will turn their attention to the
other groups, and it is with the intention of encouraging the study
of these "Neglected Orders" that we have written the present little
handbook.

       *       *       *       *       *

The orders which we here intend to treat of are the following:--

 _The Hymenoptera_, including the Bees, Wasps, Ants, Saw Flies, Gall
 Flies, Ichneumon Flies, and their allies.

 _The Neuroptera_, including the Dragon Flies, Day Flies, Lacewing
 Flies, Stone Flies, Caddis Flies, and their allies.

 _The Orthoptera_, including the Grasshoppers, Locusts, Crickets,
 Cockroaches, Earwigs, and their allies.

 _The Hemiptera_, including the Bugs, Skaters, Lantern Flies, Frog
 Hoppers, Aphides, and their allies.

 _The Diptera_, including the Gnats, Midges, Crane Flies, Hawk Flies,
 Bee Flies, Breeze Flies, Bot Flies, and their allies.

[Illustration: Fig. 1.--Hoplistomerus Serripes.]

[Illustration: Fig. 2.--Ledra Aurita (Mag.)]

The number of insects is so large (about 13,000 different kinds are
found in our own country alone) that it will be found impossible
by any one to collect the whole at once;