An Introduction To Entomology: - free ebook by William Kirby

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An Introduction To Entomology:

William Kirby

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INTERNAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF INSECTS.

INTERNAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF INSECTS.

Having given you this full account of the external parts of insects, and their most remarkable variations; I must next direct your attention to such discoveries as have been made with regard to their Internal Anatomy and Physiology : a subject still more fertile, if possible, than the former in wonderful manifestations of the power , wisdom and goodness of the Creator . The vital system of these little creatures, in all its great features, is perfectly analogous to that of the vertebrate animals

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LONDON:

LONDON:

The publication of the concluding volumes of the "Introduction to Entomology" has been unavoidably delayed by the continued ill health of one of the Authors, which has devolved upon the other a considerable increase of labour, and demanded a greater expenditure of time than would otherwise have been required: for though Mr. Spence put every facility in Mr. Kirby's power, and had drawn up a rough copy of every Letter belonging to his department; yet, as most of them had been written several years

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THE FOLLOWING WORK,

THE FOLLOWING WORK,

AND OBEDIENT SERVANTS, THE AUTHORS. [Pg iv] [Pg v]...

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SOCIETIES OF INSECTS.

SOCIETIES OF INSECTS.

I see already, and I see it with pleasure, that you will not content yourself with being a mere collector of insects. To possess a cabinet well stored, and to know by what name each described individual which it contains should be distinguished, will not satisfy the love that is already grown strong in you for my favourite pursuit; and you now anticipate with a laudable eagerness, the discoveries that you may make respecting the history and economy of this most interesting department of the work

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TO THIS EDITION.

TO THIS EDITION.

Since the original Edition of the present work was published, a gradual and great alteration has taken place in the nomenclature of the genera, occasioned by the old ones being further subdivided according to their natural groups, and each distinguished as a genus or subgenus by its peculiar name. These names in the present Edition, in order to keep pace with the progress of the science, have been generally adopted, and some new ones introduced. The improved Index, which may be had separately by

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DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER.

DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER.

The Synoptical Table of the Nomenclature of the Parts of the External Crust of Insects should be placed opposite to page 354. Plates VI-XX. should be placed in this Volume, and the remainder in the Fourth. It is however suggested to Purchasers, that in binding complete Sets of the Work, a separate Volume may be formed of the Synoptical Table, the Plates and their Explanations, and the Indexes....

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INTERNAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF INSECTS CONTINUED.

INTERNAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF INSECTS CONTINUED.

"Life and flame have this in common," says Cuvier, "that neither the one nor the other can subsist without air ; all living beings, from man to the most minute vegetable, perish when they are utterly deprived of that fluid [144] ." The ancients, however, not perceiving insects to be furnished with any thing resembling lungs , took it for granted that they did not breathe ; though Pliny seems to hesitate on the subject [145] . But the microscopic and anatomical observations of Malpighi, Swammerda

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SOCIETIES OF INSECTS CONTINUED.

SOCIETIES OF INSECTS CONTINUED.

The associations of insects of which my last letter gave you a detail, were of a very imperfect kind, both as to their object and duration: but those which I am now to lay before you exhibit the semblance of a nearer approach, both in their principle and its results, to the societies of man himself. There are two kindred sentiments, that in these last act with most powerful energy—desire and affection.—From the first proceed many wants that cannot be satisfied without the intercourse, aid, and c

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NOTICE RESPECTING VOL. I. and II.

NOTICE RESPECTING VOL. I. and II.

It being judged expedient, since the publication of the last Edition of the first and second Volumes of this Work, to adopt a new plan with respect to the reference letters of the Plates, the Reader is requested to make the following corrections in those Volumes....

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PREFACE.

PREFACE.

One principal cause of the little attention paid to Entomology in this country, has doubtless been the ridicule so often thrown upon the science. The botanist, sheltered now by the sanction of fashion, as formerly by the prescriptive union of his study with medicine, may dedicate his hours to mosses and lichens without reproach; but in the minds of most men, the learned as well as the vulgar, the idea of the trifling nature of his pursuit is so strongly associated with that of the diminutive siz

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SOCIETIES OF INSECTS.

SOCIETIES OF INSECTS.

I shall now call your attention to such parts of the history of two other descriptions of social insects, wasps , namely, and humble-bees , as have not been related to you in my letters on the affection of insects for their young, and on their habitations. What I have to communicate, though not devoid of interest, is not to be compared with the preceding account of the ants, nor with that which will follow of the hive-bee. This, however, may arise more from the deficiency of observations than th

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INTERNAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF INSECTS, CONTINUED.

INTERNAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF INSECTS, CONTINUED.

We learn from the highest authority, that the blood is the life of the animal [348] : every object of creation, therefore, that is gifted with animal life, we may conclude, in some sense, has blood, which in this large sense may be defined— The fluid that visits and nourishes every part of a living body [349] . But the Great Author of nature has varied the machinery by which this nutritive fluid is formed and distributed, gradually proceeding from the most simple to the most complex structure; i

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SOCIETIES OF INSECTS.

SOCIETIES OF INSECTS.

The glory of an all-wise and omnipotent Creator, you will acknowledge, is wonderfully manifested by the varied proceedings of those social tribes of which I have lately treated: but it shines forth with a brightness still more intense in the instincts that actuate the common hive-bee ( Apis mellifica ), and which I am next to lay before you. Indeed, of all the insect associations, there are none that have more excited the attention and admiration of mankind in every age, or been more universally

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INTERNAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF INSECTS, CONTINUED.

INTERNAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF INSECTS, CONTINUED.

"The immense Class of insects," says the immortal Cuvier, "in the structure of its alimentary canal exhibits as many variations as those of all the vertebrate animals together: there are not only the differences that strike us in going from family to family and from species to species; but one and the same individual has often a canal quite different, according as we examine it in its larva or imago state; and all these variations have relations very exact, often easily estimable, with the tempo

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DEFINITION OF THE TERM INSECT.

DEFINITION OF THE TERM INSECT.

What is an insect? This may seem a strange question after such copious details as have been given in my former Letters of their history and economy, in which it appears to have been taken for granted that you can answer this question. Yet in the scientific road which you are now about to enter, to be able to define these creatures technically is an important first step which calls for attention. You know already that a butterfly is an insect—that a fly, a beetle, a grasshopper, a bug, a bee, a l

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LETTER I.

LETTER I.

Dear Sir , I cannot wonder that an active mind like yours should experience no small degree of tedium in a situation so far removed, as you represent your new residence to be, from "the busy hum of men." Nothing certainly can compensate for the want of agreeable society; but since your case in this respect admits of no remedy but patience, I am glad you are desirous of turning your attention to some pursuit which may amuse you in the intervals of severer study, and in part supply the void of whi

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STATES OF INSECTS.

STATES OF INSECTS.

On a former occasion I gave you a general idea of what has been called, perhaps not improperly, the metamorphosis of insects [61] ; but since that time much novel and interesting speculation on the subject has employed the pens of many eminent Physiologists; and besides this, the doctrine then advanced of successive developments has been altogether denied by a very able Anatomist, Dr. Herold, who, with a hand, eye, and pencil, second only to those of Lyonnet, has traced the changes that graduall

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INTERNAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF INSECTS, CONTINUED.

INTERNAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF INSECTS, CONTINUED.

Having given you so full an account of the system of digestion in insects, I am now to say something concerning their secretions , and the organs by which they are elaborated. Though no individual amongst them perhaps secretes so many different substances as the warm-blooded animals; yet in general the Class abounds in secretions perhaps as numerous and extraordinary as in the last-mentioned tribes, to some of which a few of them are analogous, while others are altogether peculiar. We know littl

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SOCIETIES OF INSECTS.

SOCIETIES OF INSECTS.

Having given you a history sufficiently ample of the queen or female bee, I shall next add some account of the drone or male bee ; but this will not detain you long, since, "to be born and die" is nearly the sum total of their story. Much abuse, from the earliest times, has been lavished upon this description of the inhabitants of the hive, and their indolence and gluttony have become proverbial.—Indeed, at first sight, it seems extraordinary that seven or eight hundred individuals should be sup

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OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.

OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.

In my last I gave you a general view of the science of Entomology, and endeavoured to prove to you that it possesses attractions and beauty sufficient to reward any student who may profess himself its votary. I am now to consider it in a less alluring light, as a pursuit attended by no small degree of obloquy, in consequence of certain objections thought to be urged with great force against it. To obviate these, and remove every scruple from your mind, shall be the business of the present letter

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STATES OF INSECTS.

STATES OF INSECTS.

The Larva state is that in which insects exist immediately after their exclusion from the egg (or from the mother in ovo-viviparous species), in which they usually eat voraciously, change their skin several times, and have the power of locomotion, but do not propagate. Almost all larvæ, at their birth, are for a time in a very feeble and languid state, the duration of which differs in different species. In most it continues for a very short time, a few minutes or perhaps hours, after which they

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INTERNAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF INSECTS, CONTINUED.

INTERNAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF INSECTS, CONTINUED.

The reproductive organs of insects in their general denominations and functions correspond with those of the higher classes of animals; but as to number , proportions , and other particular details of their structure, they differ from them very considerably. I shall not now, however, enter at large upon this subject, but confine myself principally to the consideration of those organs in the female which are appropriated to the formation, fecundation, maturation, exclusion and deposition of their

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MEANS BY WHICH INSECTS DEFEND THEMSELVES.

MEANS BY WHICH INSECTS DEFEND THEMSELVES.

When a country is particularly open to attack, or surrounded by numerous enemies, who from cupidity or hostile feelings are disposed to annoy it, we are usually led to inquire what are its means of defence? whether natural, or arising from the number, courage, or skill of its inhabitants. The insect tribes constitute such a nation: with them infinite hosts of enemies wage continual war, many of whom derive the whole of their subsistence from them: and amongst their own tribes there are numerous

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METAMORPHOSES OF INSECTS.

METAMORPHOSES OF INSECTS.

Were a naturalist to announce to the world the discovery of an animal which for the first five years of its life existed in the form of a serpent; which then penetrating into the earth, and weaving a shroud of pure silk of the finest texture, contracted itself within this covering into a body without external mouth or limbs, and resembling more than any thing else an Egyptian mummy; and which, lastly, after remaining in this state without food and without motion for three years longer, should at

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STATES OF INSECTS.

STATES OF INSECTS.

We have now traced our little animals through their egg and larva states, and have arrived at the third stage of their existence, the Pupa State . This, to include all, can only be defined,—that state intervening between the larva and imago, in which the parts and organs of the perfect insect, particularly those of sex, though in few cases fully developed, are prepared and fitted for their final and complete development in the last-mentioned state; and in which the majority of these animals are

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INTERNAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF INSECTS, CONCLUDED.

INTERNAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF INSECTS, CONCLUDED.

We have seen upon a former occasion the great variety of movements that insects can perform, and of the external organs with which they perform them [801] : but we are now to consider the internal apparatus, by the immediate action of which they take place—their system of muscles . When we reflect upon the wonderful velocity, their size considered, with which many insects move, and the unparalleled degree of muscular force that many exert [802] , we feel no small degree of curiosity to know some

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MOTIONS OF INSECTS. (Larva and Pupa.)

MOTIONS OF INSECTS. (Larva and Pupa.)

Amongst the means of defence to which insects have recourse, I have noticed their motions . These shall be the subject of the present letter. I shall not, however, confine myself to those by which they seek to escape from their enemies; but take a larger and more comprehensive survey of them, including not only every species of locomotion, but also the movements they give to different parts of their body when in a state of repose: and in order to render this survey more complete, I shall add to

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INJURIES CAUSED BY INSECTS.

INJURIES CAUSED BY INSECTS.

In the letter which I devoted to the defence of Entomology, I gave you reason to expect, more effectually to obviate the objection drawn from the supposed insignificance of insects, that I should enter largely into the question of their importance to us both as instruments of good and evil. This I shall now attempt; and, as I wish to leave upon your mind a pleasant impression with respect to my favourites, I shall begin with the last of these subjects—the injury which they do to us. The Almighty

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INJURIES CAUSED BY INSECTS.

INJURIES CAUSED BY INSECTS.

Having detailed to you the direct injuries which we suffer from insects, I am now to call your attention to their indirect attacks upon us, or the injury which they do our property; and under this view also you will own, with the fullest conviction, that they are not beings that can with prudence or safety be disregarded or despised. Our property, at least that part exposed to the annoyance of these creatures, may be regarded as consisting of animal and vegetable productions, and that in two sta

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MOTIONS OF INSECTS. (Imago.)

MOTIONS OF INSECTS. (Imago.)

III. The motions of insects in their perfect or imago state are various, and for various purposes; and the provision of organs by which they are enabled to effect them is equally diversified and wonderful. It will be convenient to divide this multifarious subject; I shall therefore consider their motions under two principal heads:—motions of insects reposing —and motions of insects in action ;—and this last head I shall further subdivide into motions whose object is change of place, and sportive

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STATES OF INSECTS.

STATES OF INSECTS.

When the insect has quitted the exuviæ of the pupa, it has attained the last stage of its existence. It is now termed an Imago , or perfect insect; and is capable of propagation. Just after its exclusion, it is weak, soft, and languid: all its parts are covered with moisture; and, if a winged insect, its wings have so little the appearance, either in shape, size, or colour, which they are about to assume, that it might be taken for a mutilated abortion, rather than an animal in the most vigorous

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DISEASES OF INSECTS.

DISEASES OF INSECTS.

Having laid before you what observations I thought might sufficiently explain all the principal features of the Anatomy of insects both external and internal, you will next expect to be informed whether, like the higher animals, they are subject to have the admirable order observable in their frame interrupted by Disease ; and you will perhaps imagine, from the multiplicity of their organs and vessels, that they must be peculiarly exposed to derangements of the vital and other functions. That th

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ON LUMINOUS INSECTS.

ON LUMINOUS INSECTS.

We boast of our candles, our wax-lights, and our Argand lamps, and pity our fellow-men who, ignorant of our methods of producing artificial light, are condemned to pass their nights in darkness. We regard these inventions as the results of a great exertion of human intellect, and never conceive it possible that other animals are able to avail themselves of modes of illumination equally efficient; and are furnished with the means of guiding their nocturnal evolutions by actual lights, similar in

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SENSES OF INSECTS.

SENSES OF INSECTS.

At first one would think that the senses of insects might be described in very few words, and scarcely afford matter for a separate letter; but when we find that physiologists are scarcely yet agreed upon this subject, and that the use of some of their organs, which appear to be organs of sensation, has not yet been satisfactorily ascertained—we shall not wonder that it requires more discussion than at the first blush we were aware of. In treating on this head I shall first say something on the

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INJURIES CAUSED BY INSECTS.

INJURIES CAUSED BY INSECTS.

Having endeavoured to give you some idea of the mode in which insects establish and maintain their empire over man and his train of dependent animals, I shall next call your attention to his living vegetable possessions, whether the produce of the forest, the field, or the garden; whether necessary to him for his support, convenient for his use, or ministering to his comfort, pleasure and delight:—and here you will find these little creatures as busily engaged in the work of mischief as ever, de

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EXTERNAL ANATOMY OF INSECTS.

EXTERNAL ANATOMY OF INSECTS.

Having shown you our little animals in every state, and traced their progress from the egg to the perfect insect, I must next give you some account of their structure and anatomy . And under this head I shall introduce you to a microcosm of wonders, in which the hand of an Almighty workman is singularly conspicuous. One would at first think that the giant bulk of the elephant, rhinoceros, or hippopotamus, must include a machine far more complicated, a skeleton more multifarious in its compositio

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EXTERNAL ANATOMY OF INSECTS.

EXTERNAL ANATOMY OF INSECTS.

Before I confine my observations to the head of insects, which I propose to consider separately in the present letter, I must premise a few words upon their body in general, or rather its crust , or external integument. In this we may notice its substance , general form , sculpture , pubescence , and composition . i. I have already noticed the substance of this integument in the preparatory states of insects [1151] ; I shall not, therefore, here repeat what I then said, but restrict myself chief

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ORISMOLOGY, OR EXPLANATION OF TERMS.

ORISMOLOGY, OR EXPLANATION OF TERMS.

It was by the language of terms that he invented and employed, as well as by his system and methods of arrangement, that Linné smoothed the way to the study of Natural History;—having therefore led you through a large portion of the flowery fields of the Science of Entomology, I must now conduct you into that arid but not barren or unprofitable region. To enable you to understand descriptions of insects, or to describe them yourself, you must have a knowledge of the technical language by which t

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INJURIES CAUSED BY INSECTS.

INJURIES CAUSED BY INSECTS.

To look at a locust in a cabinet of insects, you would not, at first sight, deem it capable of being the source of so much evil to mankind as stands on record against it. "This is but a small creature," you would say, "and the mischief which it causes cannot be far beyond the proportion of its bulk. The locusts so celebrated in history must surely be of the Indian kind mentioned by Pliny, which were three feet in length, with legs so strong that the women used them as saws. I see indeed some res

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ON THE HYBERNATION AND TORPIDITY OF INSECTS.

ON THE HYBERNATION AND TORPIDITY OF INSECTS.

If insects can boast of enjoying a greater variety of food than many other tribes of animals, this advantage seems at first sight more than counterbalanced in our climates, by the temporary nature of their supply. The graminivorous quadrupeds, with few exceptions, however scanty their bill of fare, and their carnivorous brethren, as well as the whole race of birds and fishes, can at all seasons satisfy, in greater or less abundance, their demand for food. But to the great majority of insects, th

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SYSTEM OF INSECTS.

SYSTEM OF INSECTS.

Having considered insects as to their History, Anatomy and Physiology, we must next enter a new and ample field, in which, like most of our predecessors, we shall often be perplexed and bewildered by the infinite variety of devious paths which traverse it, and by the mazy labyrinths in which the more we wander the less ground we seem to gain.—You will easily perceive I am speaking of the System of Insects . System is a subject which has engaged the attention of Naturalists from the time of Arist

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INJURIES CAUSED BY INSECTS.

INJURIES CAUSED BY INSECTS.

I have not yet arrived at the end of my catalogue of noxious insects. I have introduced you, indeed, to those that annoy man in his own person, in his domestic animals, in the produce of his fields, gardens, orchards, and forests; in a word, in every thing that is endued with the vital principle: but I have as yet said nothing of the injuries which he receives from them in that part of his property, consisting either of animal or vegetable matter, from which that principle is departed . And with

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EXTERNAL ANATOMY OF INSECTS, CONTINUED.

EXTERNAL ANATOMY OF INSECTS, CONTINUED.

As the head of insects is the principal seat of the organs of sensation , so is the trunk of those of motion ; and in it are contained the muscles by which they are moved: it may therefore be regarded as the great centre of motion, and as the main support and prop of the two other primary sections of the body—the head and abdomen, between which it is situated—it may be deemed the most important part of the insect, the key-stone of the whole structure. In treating upon it, for the greater clearne

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ON THE INSTINCT OF INSECTS.

ON THE INSTINCT OF INSECTS.

The greater part of those surprising facts connected with the manners and economy of insects, of which the relation has occupied the preceding letters, is to be referred, I have told you, to their instinct. But what , you will ask, is this instinct?—of what nature is this faculty which produces effects so extraordinary? To this query I do not pretend to give any satisfactory answer. As I am quite of Bonnet's opinion, that philosophers will in vain torment themselves to define instinct, until the

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NATURAL HISTORY, GEOLOGY, BOTANY, MINERALOGY, &c.

NATURAL HISTORY, GEOLOGY, BOTANY, MINERALOGY, &c.

THE MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY, AND JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY, BOTANY, MINERALOGY, GEOLOGY and METEOROLOGY. Conducted by J. C. Loudon , F.L.S. H.S. &amp;c. In 8vo. No. I. (to be continued every Two Months, alternately with the Gardener's Magazine ,) price 3s. 6d. The different Departments edited by Gentlemen eminent in each. The Drawings of Botany and Conchology, by Sowerby ;—of Animals, by Harvey ;—of Trees, by Strutt : and the Engravings on Wood, by Branston . The objects of this work are—To rec

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EXTERNAL ANATOMY OF INSECTS CONTINUED.

EXTERNAL ANATOMY OF INSECTS CONTINUED.

The abdomen of insects, which we are next to consider, is the third great section of the body, and is the seat of the organs of generation, as well as of a principal part of those connected with respiration. My remarks upon it will be under the following heads: Its substance ; articulation with the trunk ; composition ; shape and proportions ; its appendages ; and its clothing . i. Substance. Under this head I may observe in general, that where the abdomen is protected by hard elytra or tegmina,

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BENEFITS DERIVED FROM INSECTS.

BENEFITS DERIVED FROM INSECTS.

My last letters contained, I must own, a most melancholy though not an overcharged picture of the injuries and devastation which man, in various ways, experiences through the instrumentality of the insect world. In this and the following I hope to place before you a more agreeable scene, since in them I shall endeavour to point out in what respects these minute animals are made to benefit us, and what advantages we reap from their extensive agency. God, in all the evil which he permits to take p

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HISTORY OF ENTOMOLOGY.

HISTORY OF ENTOMOLOGY.

After the very general idea that I have attempted to embody for you of the System of Insects ; of the groups in which nature has arranged them, and their mutual relations; it will not be out of place, if I next state to you what has been effected by Entomologists towards reducing them to order: or, in other words, if I give you some account of the various Methods and Systems [1316] , beginning with the earliest, that have appeared and had their day, which will include a history of the progress o

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EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES[2192].

EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES[2192].

PLATE VI. [2193] Plate VII PLATE VII. [2194] Plate VIII PLATE VIII. [2196] Plate IX PLATE IX. [2197] Plate X PLATE. X. [2198] N.B. In this plate the red points out the costal , and the yellow the anal areas, the intermediate being uncoloured . Plate XI PLATE XI. [2199] Antennæ. Plate XII PLATE XII. Antennæ. Plate XIII PLATE XIII. [2200] Plate XIV PLATE XIV. [2201] Plate XV PLATE XV. [2202] Plate XVI PLATE XVI. [2203] Plate XVII PLATE XVII. [2204] Plate XVIII PLATE XVIII. [2205] Plate XIX PLATE X

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GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF INSECTS; THEIR STATIONS AND HAUNTS; SEASONS; TIMES OF ACTION AND REPOSE.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF INSECTS; THEIR STATIONS AND HAUNTS; SEASONS; TIMES OF ACTION AND REPOSE.

Though no subject is more worthy of the attention of the Entomologist than the Geographical Distribution of insects, yet perhaps there is none connected with the science, for the elucidation of which he is furnished with fewer materials. The geographer of these animals sitting by his fireside, even supposing his museum as amply stored as that of Mr. MacLeay, and the habitats of its contents as accurately indicated, still labours under difficulties that are almost insuperable; so that it is next

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BENEFITS DERIVED FROM INSECTS.

BENEFITS DERIVED FROM INSECTS.

My last letter was devoted to the indirect advantages which we derive from insects; in the present I shall enumerate those of a more direct nature for which we are indebted to them, beginning with their use as the food of man, in which respect they are of more importance than you may have conceived. One class of animals which, till very lately, have been regarded as belonging to the entomological world, I mean the Crustacea , consisting principally of the genus Cancer of Linné, are universally r

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ON THE AFFECTION OF INSECTS FOR THEIR YOUNG.

ON THE AFFECTION OF INSECTS FOR THEIR YOUNG.

Amongst the larger animals, every observer of nature has witnessed, with admiration, that love of their offspring which the beneficent Creator, with equal regard to the happiness of the parent and the progeny, has interwoven in the constitution of his creatures. Who that has any sensibility, has not felt his heart dilate with gratitude to the Giver of all good, in observing amongst the domestic animals which surround him, the effects of this divine storgé , so fruitful of the most delightful sen

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ON ENTOMOLOGICAL INSTRUMENTS; AND THE BEST METHODS OF COLLECTING, BREEDING, AND PRESERVING INSECTS.

ON ENTOMOLOGICAL INSTRUMENTS; AND THE BEST METHODS OF COLLECTING, BREEDING, AND PRESERVING INSECTS.

Having in my last letter given you some account of the haunts of insects, I now proceed to describe the various instruments with which you ought to be provided, to enable you to collect them; and the best mode of employing each. The Entomologist when he makes an excursion should have three principal objects in view, for which he ought to be duly prepared. The first is to find insects, the next is to catch them, and the last when taken to bring them safe home. In exploring their haunts he must al

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INVESTIGATION OF INSECTS.

INVESTIGATION OF INSECTS.

An entomologist who aspires to more than the character of a mere amateur, will not be content with filling his cabinet with nameless objects for the sole amusement of the eye; but will also be anxious to acquire some knowledge of what he has collected, and to ascertain by what names , whether indicating their genus or species, they have been distinguished by scientific writers who have described insects either in general or those of particular districts. Thus only can he himself derive profit fr

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ON THE FOOD OF INSECTS.

ON THE FOOD OF INSECTS.

Insects like other animals draw their food from the vegetable and animal kingdoms; but a very slight survey will suffice to show that they enjoy a range over far more extensive territories. To begin with the vegetable kingdom.—Of this vast field the larger animals are confined to a comparatively small portion. Of the thousands of plants which clothe the face of the earth, when we have separated the grasses and a trifling number of herbs and shrubs, the rest are disgusting to them, if not absolut

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FOOD OF INSECTS CONTINUED.

FOOD OF INSECTS CONTINUED.

The stratagems of insects in obtaining their food are now to engage our attention. I shall not dwell on those inartificial modes of surprising their prey, of which examples may be found amongst almost every order of insects, such as watching behind a leaf or other object affording concealment until its approach; but shall proceed to describe the various artifices of the race of spiders, of which there are several hundred distinct species differing essentially from each other both in characters a

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DE GENITALIBUS ET GENERATIONE INSECTORUM.

DE GENITALIBUS ET GENERATIONE INSECTORUM.

Inter tot et tanta Optimi Creatoris miracula, quæ Regnum Animale tantopere illustrant, vix ulla sunt majori admiratione digna, et Physiologi eruditi introspectione, quam quæ ad generationem insectorum spectant. Quamvis enim inter sexûs organa vertebratorum animalium et insectorum analogia haud parva locum habet; numero tamen, figura et proportione partium, miro modo sæpius differunt; et organa insuper plura in insectis reperiuntur quorum in vertebratis exempla frustra quæsiveris. Hoc argumentum

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HABITATIONS OF INSECTS.

HABITATIONS OF INSECTS.

In forming an estimate of the civilization and intellectual progress of a newly discovered people, we usually pay attention to their buildings, and other proofs of architectural skill. If we find them, like the wretched inhabitants of Van Diemen's Land, without other abodes than natural caverns or miserable penthouses of bark, we at once regard them as the most ignorant and unhumanized of their race. If, like the natives of the South Sea Isles, they have advanced a step further, and enjoy houses

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AUTHORS QUOTED.

AUTHORS QUOTED.

[N. B. Those works in the following list to which an Asterisk is prefixed are useful to the Entomologist. The abbreviations of the titles of the works used in the text and notes of the Introduction to Entomology, in the list are put in Italics .] Acerbi (Joseph) Travels through Sweden, Finland, and Lapland, to the North Cape, in 1798 and 1799. London 1802. 4to. Adams (Joseph, M.D.) Observations on morbid poisons . London 1807. 4to. Ælianus. De Natura Animalium. Ahrens (Augustus) F au na insector

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HABITATIONS OF INSECTS CONTINUED.

HABITATIONS OF INSECTS CONTINUED.

The habitations of insects which I shall next proceed to describe, are those formed by the united labour of several individuals. The societies which thus combine their operations may be divided into two kinds: 1st, those of which the object is simply the conservation of the individuals composing them; and 2dly, those whose object is also the nurture and education of their young. To the last head belong bees, wasps, &amp;c.: to the former the larvæ of some species of moths, whose labours bein

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TRANSACTIONS OF PUBLIC BODIES.

TRANSACTIONS OF PUBLIC BODIES.

Transactions (Philosophical) of the Royal Society of London, with the Abridgements of Lowthorp and Dr. Shaw. 4to. ———— of the Linnean Society of London. 4to. ———— of the Horticultural Society. 4to. ———— of the Society for the encouragement of arts, manufactures and commerce. 8vo. ———— ( Asiatic Researches ) of the Society instituted in Bengal for inquiring into the history and antiquities, the arts, sciences, and literature of Asia. 4to. ———— of the American Philosophical Society, held at Philad

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PERIODICAL WORKS.

PERIODICAL WORKS.

Annals of botany (König and Sims). 4to. ——— of Philosophy (Thomson). Annales de chimie, ou recueil de mémoires concernant la chimie et les arts qui en dependent. Paris. 8vo. Annali di chimica. Bulletin des sciences naturelles et de géologie (De Ferussac). 8vo. Journal of natural philosophy, chemistry, and the arts (Nicholson's). ——— Edinburgh medical and surgical. ——— Zoological. 8vo. ——— Massachusetts Agricultural. 8vo. ——— de physique (Abbé Rozier, &amp;c.). 4to. ——— für die liehaber der e

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DICTIONARIES.

DICTIONARIES.

Dictionary of Chemistry (Messrs. Aikin). ——— medical (Dr. Hooper's). 8vo. Dictionnaire Physique. ——— * Nouveau d'Hist oire Nat urelle. tom. 36. 8vo. ——— des sciences naturelles. 8vo. Encyclopædia Britannica. 4to....

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PLATE XXX.

PLATE XXX.

PLATE XXI PLATE XXII PLATE XXIII PLATE XXIV PLATE XXV PLATE XXVI PLATE XXVII PLATE XXVIII PLATE XXIX PLATE XXX N.B.—The reader is requested to observe that in the preceding Index, one object has been to point out, wherever it was possible, to what Linnean or Fabrician genus each of the genera included in it may be referred, though no species of it may have been known to those authors. Where a Synonym of any genus is printed in Roman letters, it indicates that such genus is so denominated in the

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FOREIGN PROVINCIAL NAMES AND TERMS.

FOREIGN PROVINCIAL NAMES AND TERMS.

END OF THE FOURTH AND LAST VOLUME. Published by the same Authors. By Mr. Kirby , MONOGRAPHIA APUM ANGLIÆ: Or, An Attempt to divide into their natural Genera and Families such Species of the Linnean Genus Apis as have been discovered in England. In two volumes 8vo, with plates. Price 1 l. 1 s. By Mr. Spence , In one closely printed Volume, 8vo, price 7s. Boards , TRACTS on POLITICAL ECONOMY, viz. 1. Britain independent of Commerce. Seventh Edition. 2. Agriculture the Source of the Wealth of Brita

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LONGMAN, REES, ORME, BROWN, AND GREEN.

LONGMAN, REES, ORME, BROWN, AND GREEN.

THE MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY, AND JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY, BOTANY, MINERALOGY, GEOLOGY, AND METEOROLOGY. Conducted by J. C. Loudon , F.L.S. H.S. &amp;c. Vol. I. in 8vo. Price 18s. boards: (to be continued in Numbers every Two Months, alternately with the Gardener's Magazine ,) price 3s. 6d. The different Departments edited by Gentlemen eminent in each. The Drawings of Botany and Conchology, by Sowerby ;—of Animals, by Harvey ;—of Trees, by Strutt : and the Engravings on Wood by Branston . The

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