British butterflies, moths beetles

MÔI TRƯỜNG, hay Khoa học về Côn trùng, liên quan đến rất nhiều sinh vật sống, một số trong đó chúng ta nhìn thấy xung quanh chúng ta mỗi ngày trong cuộc sống. Chúng có số lượng nhiều hơn bất kỳ nhóm động vật nào khác, với khoảng 12.000 loại khác nhau được biết đến để sống ở Anh, mặc dù các nhóm nhỏ hơn và kém hấp dẫn hơn hiện tại rất chưa được biết đến; và ít nhất hai mươi số lần này được biết là được tìm thấy trong các phần khác của thế giới. Nhưng để có được kiến ​​thức chung về côn trùng Anh, không có nghĩa là cần thiết để làm quen với mỗi một trong số 12.000 loài này; vì họ đã bị chia rẽ thành các phần, sao cho mỗi loài riêng lẻ có thể được xác định và sự tương đồng của nó với những người giống như họ nhận thấy nhất, và sự khác biệt của nó đã chỉ ra. Khi bạn đã có được một ý tưởng chung về các phần khác nhau của côn trùng, sau đó bạn có thể chọn nhóm mà bạn thích nhất và giới hạn sự chú ý của bạn vào nó; nhưng hầu hết con người, khi họ bắt đầu thu thập côn trùng, thu thập mọi thứ theo cách của họ, cho đến khi họ hình thành sở thích đặc biệt này.

WEKlRBY

THE YOUNG COLLECTOR.

Ofthe Zoological Department, British Museum', Author of "An

Elementary Text Book of Entomology,""European

Butterfliesand Moths"etc., etc.

LONDON:

W SWAN SONNENSCHEIN & CO.,

PATERNOSTER SQUARE.

1885

TheSelwood PriutiugWorks,Frome, andLondon.

M3GS952

THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.

ENTOMOLOGY, ortheScience ofInsects,concerns a great

num-berof living creatures,someofwhich we see around us every

dayofourlives. Theyarefarmore numerous than anyother

inhabitEngland, although the smallerandlessattractivegroups

are very insufficiently known at present; and at least twenty

timesthisnumberareknowntobe foundin other parts of theworld

Butinordertoobtaina generalknowledge ofBritish insects,

it is by no means necessaryto make yourself acquainted with

everyoneof these 12,000 species; fortheyhave been divided

into sections,so that each individual species can be identified

differencespointedout Whenyou haveacquired a general idea

of the varioussectionsofinsects,you canthen select the group

people,when they begin to collect insects, collect everything

preference

Naturalistshave begunbydividing the various objects which

large sections called Sub-Kingdoms, to one of which,

called-variouslyArthropoda, Annulosa,or Articulata,insects belong

vertebrate animals, buttheirbodies andlimbs are formedof a

number of jointed pieces, of a bony or horny consistence, to

cover-ing formswhatiscalled theirexternal skeleton,andits strength

and solidity is such that their activity and bodily powers arefrequently far greater in proportion to their size than in any

vertebrate animal

Crustacea, including Crabs, Lobsters,Shrimps,Wood-lice,etc.;

We

4 THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.

characters ofthethreefirstclasses,asthe Insects are separated

fromthem bya greatnumberofcharacters

Insectshavesix legs in theperfect state,and no more; four

(ortwo) wings,twoeyes,composedof a greatnumberoffacets,

simpleeyes,or stemmata, onthetip of thehead Their body

is composed of thirteen segments, dividedinto head, thorax,

system at all resembling those of the higher animals The

place of the heart is supplied by an organ called the greatdorsalvessel,lying along theback; andthe brain and nervous

connected ganglia, or knots ofnervous matter, lying along the

orair-holes, opening on eachsideof the greaternumberofthe

themusclesbeing far more numerousthan those of vertebrateanimals Insects pass through four stages, called respectivelyegg, larva(or caterpillar),pupa(or chrysalis),andimago,though

these aremore sharply defined in some insects than in others

state;andalthough theysometimes possess morethan six legs

in this state (and occasionally noneat all),yet the larvae of

insects are not generally liable to be mistaken forany otheranimals

ofaninsectiscomposed; the firstforms the head, thesecond

tothe fourth the thorax,andtheremaindertheabdomen These

thirteensegments(except occasionallyoneortwoof the terminalsegments) are generally distinct in larvae,but become more or

the threedivisionsof head, thorax, andabdomenarealwaystinctly visible,and are much more clearlydefinedthan in thelarvastate

dis-Thehead contains the organs of sense,and the mouth In

additionto the eyes, there is always a pair of long jointedorgans called antennae, which appear to be organs of touch,

smell, and probablyof hearing After thelossof these organs,

aninsectbecomeswhollyincapable of directingits flight. The

antennaedifferverymuchin shapein different insects,and are

called simple,pectinated, lamellated,clavate,etc., accordingly

them

T&E ORDERS OF INSECTS. 5

haveaseriesof long processes near the end,opening andclosing

atpleasure, almostlikeafan

The mouthofinsectsisformedeither forbiting orforsuction

{InsectaMandibulata),andthosewhichareprovidedwith a boscistoimbibeliquidfood arecalled haustellate insects (InsectaHanstellata) Mostof thelatter,however, aremandibulateinthelarvastate, and manymandibulateinsectsarelikewiseprovided

pro-witha proboscis

The three segments of the thorax are called the prothorax,mesothorax,and metathoraxrespectively. Thefirstbearsonthe

pair ofwings, andthesecondpair oflegs; andthethird bears

thicker than the hind wings, so as to form wing-cases ratherthan additional organs of flight, they are called elytra. The

air-tubes, callednervures, thearrangementofwhichdifferssiderablyinvariousinsects The legs are divided into severalparts First come the coxce, or hips,which are generally the

con-thickest parts of the leg; next a connectingjoint, called thetrochanter; afterwhichfollowtwostraight parts, calledfemora,

orthighs,andtibiae,or shanks,respectively Belowthese comes

thefoot,whichis composedoffive joints, called joints of the

tarsi, andterminatingin a pair of claws; but in manyinsects,

the claws, oreven oneormore of the joints of the tarsi

them-selves,are undeveloped Thepoint ofintersectionof thefemurandtibiaiscalledtheknee; andthe knees,likethe trochanters,are occasionally of adifferentcolourtotherestof theleg. The

legs, liketherestof the body, maybe smooth, or clothed with

hairs, or spines; there are oftena pair of long spursat the end

of thetibiae,and sometimesalso inthe middle

In many insects,the abdomen is completely covered bythe

a variety of curious appendages, which are either directly or

indirectlydefensive oroffensiveweapons,orconnected with the

and

THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.

Insectsdifferverymuchin size; the smallestinsect known issaid tobea four-winged fly,the larva ofwhichlives in theegg

ofaparasiteofaNorthAmericanbee Thislittlecreature has

beautifully formed wings, each of which resembles a single

feather Itmeasures one-ninetieth ofaninch in length

species in this country, and need not despair of ultimately

hand,someof the great tropical moths and locusts measure a

footacrossthewings;butwemust be contentedto regard theDeath's Head Hawk-Moth, which sometimes measures nearly

sixinches across the wings, as ourlargest British insect

Manyof our readers will perhaps think 12,000 a very large

numberofdifferentkinds ofinsectstobe foundinonecountry;

butinsectsarebynomeans soabundant in England as in theadjacent parts of the Continent,norare they so destructive to

our crops. Islands are always poorer in plants and animals

than continents; besides,whenforestsarecleared,and marshes

are drained, numbersofinsectsare destroyed,and those which

are confinedto such localities are verylikely to become

exter-minated Itis almost certain that a fewcenturies ago,when

Infact,severaldifferentkinds areknowntohavebecomeextinct

living; and if this is the case among largeand conspicuous

insects,itmust alsohave happened to manysmall and spicuous kinds without our beingevenawareofit. The south-eastern counties having the finest and driest climate in the

incon-islands,as well asbeing those nearest the Continent, producemost species ofinsects Insects are much less numerous in

ScotlandandIrelandthaninEngland,thoughthese parts of the

kingdomproducesomespecies nottobemet with elsewhere in

theBritishIslands AlthoughnearlyallourBritish insects are

at leastascommonontheContinentaswith us (and oftenmuch moreso),yet there are a few species and varieties, generallyconfined to veryrestricted localities,which have hitherto only

large sections, called Orders Some writers admit more, but

the seven great Orders are those which are universally

recog-nised,andthe smaller ones arenowgenerally treatedasforming

part of theothers Thesedatefromthetime of Linnseus, who

THE ORDERS OF INSECTS. 7

Ccleoptera, OrtJwptcra, Neuroptcra, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera,Hemiptera,and Diplcra; according to the general character of

and the three latter haustellate But we musthere point out

thatit isimpossibletoplaceinsects inalineararrangement which

shall also be natural Thus, even in the arrangement of theOrders, theHemiptera might be placedbetweenthe OrtJwptera

Diptera,just as well as in the order in whichwehaveplacedthemabove TheColeoptera,Hymenoptera, andDiptera are thethree largest Orders, of each ofwhich we have above three

numerous

TheCcleopfera,orBeetles,have hard hornywing-cases,beneath

so astofit stillcloser Theirlarveehavesix legs,andtheirpupoeare inactiveand mummy-like,thelegsof thefuture beetlebeing

enclosedinseparatesheaths. Insomecases theperfect insectisdestituteofwings andelytra, as in the female of the common glow-worm; and in many other beetles the wingsare absent,theelytrabeingeithermovable, but of courseuseless for flight;

orsoldered togetheratthesuture, asthe lineiscalledwherethe

elytra meet over the back of the abdomen, but the elytra ofbeetles veryseldomoverlap. We will proceed to enumerate a

fewof thecommonerandmoreinteresting beetles

The Cicindelidce, or Tiger Beetles, are handsome, colouredbeetles, with largeheads andstrong jaws,whichrun

bright-and fly actively in the sunshine The common Green Tiger

Beetle (Cicindela Campestris) is green, with white markings,

andits larva is alsocarnivorous,formingaburrowinthe sand,

ofa family of theOrderNeuroptera, afew species ofwhichare

country The Green Tiger Beetle is abouthalf an inch in

length

The Carabida, or Ground Beetles, are also carnivorous.Several species of the typical genus Carabusare common,and

inch long, and are of dark colours, with purplish, greenish,

or brassy shades Theyhave movable elytra, but no wings.

be noticed in

TItE ORDERS OF INSECTS.

similarsituations,most ofthem being black or greenish,often

GroundBeetle(Carabus Violaceus),naturalsize.

fewsmall species arefound onthe seashore at low-water mark,

thus beingamong the veiy few insects whichmay be looked

uponasmarine

DytlscusMarginalis(Male), naturalsize.

especially in their earlierstages; buttwo

or threefamiliesofbeetlesaremore or

THE ORDERS OF INSECTS. $stages The species of Dytiscus are large, broad, flattishbeetles,foundinfreshwater,andareofabrownorolive colour,

with yellowish borders. They are veiy voracious, feeding on

DytiscusMarginalis(Female), naturalsize.

smaller insects, and sometimes on small fish. They flystrongly,andinthe evening oftenquitthewaterandflytolong

distances Manysmaller species of Dytiscida inhabit ourpondsand streams; but the most interesting of the smallerwater

beetles are the Gyrimdce, or Whirligig Beetles, little black

beetleswith very longfore legs, whichmayoftenbeseen rapidly

circlingaboutonthe surface of the water

Thegreatgroupof Staphylinidcemaybe knownbytheirvery

Devil'sCoach-Horse(OcyJ>its Oletts),naturalsize.

short elytra,whichgives them a superficial resemblance to an

io THE ORDERS OF INSP1CTS.

with on flowers Some species inhabit the nests of ants, to

of thelargestandbestknownof the Staphylinidceisthe Devil's

rapacious Ifalarmed, it lifts up its head and tail, and it is

capable ofinflicting a severebite,whichmay be dangerousif

theinsecthaslatelybeenfeedingon anyputrid substance

ThespeciesofNecrophorus(Burying Beetles) are black,with

meetwith amouseorbird,they dig a holeunderit,andgradually

earth The femaleis buried with the carrion, in which shedeposits hereggs, andthenmakesherway up to the surface of

a shining black colour, with red spots. Their antennae are

Somesmallerbeetles allied to this, but ofa more oval shape,belonging to the family Dermestidcc^ are exceedingly destructive

namesfromtheirfood, or thelocalities inwhichthey are found.

ThelargestwaterbeetlefoundinEnglandisHydrous Piceus,

colour,andismoreconvex and narrowerthan Dytiscus

The Scarab(zid(Z,or Chafers, maybe known by their shortantennog, the terminal parts ofwhichareexpanded intobroad

flatlayers, whichtheinsectcan openorshutlikeafan All thespecies feedeitheronplants oronthedung of animals They

arelarge,broad, heavilyformedinsects, though some are very

active onthe wing. The Rose Chafer(Cetonia Auratd) is a

brightgreen beetle, with whitish markings on the elytra. It

asbroad Itisoftenfoundnestling in roses,whence it derives

otherflowers

larva feedsonthe roots ofplants,and is often very destructive

tograss-fields,whereas the perfect insect is equally destructive

to trees TheCockchafer isbrown, dusted with white in themale,and the under surface is banded with black andwhite.Several smaller species aresimilarlydestructive to plants,one

Beetle" in Germany, where itswarms on the flowers of that

But common and

THE ORDERS OF INSECTS. it

hasbrownelytra, \nd a bronzy-green head andthorax

Gcotrufcs Stcrcorarius, naturalsize.

blackaboveandpurple below,andfeedon dung, asdolikewisethe little beetles of the genus Aphodius> which resemble verysmallCockchafersinappearance,andare oftentobeseenflyingover dung, even on dustyroads

TheStagBeetleisourlargest British beetle,measuringnearly

twoinchesinlengthinlargespecimens, butitvariesconsiderably

Click Beetle (Elatcr Sat/guincus),natural size.

insize. It is remarkable for the enormous sizeof thejawsofthe male The larva feeds on the wood of trees, and the

perfect insectonthesap.

TheElatcrida are narrow with hard

THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.

Thehinder angles of the thorax are veryacute,andmanyof thespecieshave a habit ofdoublingthemselves up when theyfall

ontheirbacks,andjerking themselvesontheir legswith aclick.

Theyare therefore sometimes called "

Click Beetles,"andtheirlarvaeare very long,slender,andtough, andaretoo wellknown

to farmers and gardeners as wire-worms The Telephorida

but they are of gayercolours,beingreddish orochreousinstead,

of black or bronzed, and their elytra are unusually soft forbeetles Buttheir habits are predaceous, notwithstandingtheir

apparently fragile structure. The Glow-worm (Lampyris

Noctiluca),in whichthemale is a brown beetle, about halfan

inch long,andthe femaleiswingless,isalliedto these

The Tenebrionida and allied families may be known from

allthe foregoing groups byhaving only fourjoints tothe hindtarsi, and five on the front and middle legs. The precedingfamilieshavefive joints tothetarsiofallthe

legs They may

alsobeknown bytheirantennae, whichare moniliform, or

very familiar, such as the ugly, dull-black, wingless CellarBeetles (Blaps); the rather narrow black beetle (Tenebrio

CellarBeetle(Blaj>sKlortisaga), naturalsize.

^the larva ofwhichfeedsonflour, etc.,andiscalledthe

Meal-worm; the large soft-bodied sluggish Oil Beetle (Mdoe\

generally found among grass; andthe beautiful green Blister

Beetle (Cantharis Vesicatoria},which is foundonash-trees,but

The greatgroup of Curculionid<, or Weevils, maygenerally

THE ORDERS OF INSECTS. 13

of long tapering snout, near the extremity ofwhichare placedthe antennae, whichare often bent in the middle at a right

angle They are ofall shapes,colours, and sizes, feed onferent kinds of plants, and are sometimes very destructive

Nut-Weevil{BalaninusAfucioii),magnified

in nuts, and the perfect insect is a small brown beetle In

these,and several of the followingfamilies,the feet haveonly

four joints tothetarsi.

MuskBeetle(AromiaMoschata), naturalsize.

The commonest Musk

14 THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.

a green beetleabout aninchlong,whichisfound onthe trunks

ofwillow-trees,andemits a peculiar but agreeable odour The

larvaeof theCerambyddcefeedforthemostparton thewoodof

trees

TheChrysomelida, or Golden-apple Beetles,are generally of

a bright green or coppery colour,andare found, oftenously, on the plants on which they feed The Bloody-nose

gregari-Beetle (TimarchaLcevigata),whichisthelargest British species,

green Itisofa roundish form, andverysluggish,and when

TheHalticida are smaller beetles,which possess the powerofleaping ThedestructiveTurnip Fly(HalticaNemorum],which

elytra, isthe bestknownofthis family.

TheCoccinettidtB)orLadyBirds,haveonly threejoints tothe

Seven-spotLadyBird (Coccinella Septempunctata), magnified.tarsi. They are generally red or yellow, spotted with black;

and are very useful insects, as their larvaefee4 on plant-lice.

The Trichopterygida, the smallest known beetles, which are

The Orthoptera, or Straight-winged Insects, resemble theColeopteraintheforewings beingmuchnarrowerandof amuch

thicker texture thanthe hindwings, which aretherealorgans

offlight. The wing-cases are not horny,as in Coleoptera,but

more resemble parchment. The metamorphosesof Orthopteraare imperfect, that is, the larva, pupa, and perfect insect re-

thereis thereforeno lengthened cessation of feeding ormove*

mentinthelifeof theseinsects

coun-THE ORDERS OF INSECTS. i$

tries; but the Order includesseveral commonand well-known

insects, as well as some of the largest and most conspicuous

species thatwepossess.

Earwig(ForficnlaAurlcularia),magnified

among the Coleoptera,fromwhich the pincer-like processesat

Cockroach(Blatta Orientals),natural size.

the extremity of thebodywillat once distinguish them They

16 THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.

the short wing-covers whennotin use Theyare very

destruc-tiveto fruit and flowers ahollowapple, or the flowers of the

dahlia,sun-flower, etc.,oftenharbouringa considerablenumber

Thefemaleissaid tobroodoverheryounglikea hen

The Earwig derives its name fromits occasionally enteringthe ear afactwhichhasbeendenied, butwhichisindisputable

The insect may be immediately dislodged from the ear by

pouringoilintoit.

MoleCricket(Gryllotalpa.Vulgaris), naturalsiz e.

species (BlattaOrientalis]isbelievedtobe an importationfrom

abroad, and is generally known as theBlack Beetle This

description would apply well enoughto Blaps; but as Blatta

Unot a nor even black ofa

TttE ORDERS OF INSECTS. 17

popular name does not seem very appropriate. Theeggs are

laidinasinglemass,beingenclosedin a capsulej asisalsothecasewithlocusts

A less disagreeable insect is frequently associated with the

a common insect as the House Cricket The Mole Cricket(Gryllotalpa Vulgaris) is a much larger insect, which has the

front legs formed nearly like the pawsof a mole It lives in

The Crickets maybedistinguished fromthe Grasshoppersby

their long antennae The Great Green Grasshopper (Acrida

Viridissimd), asit iscalled,is,however,reallyacricket,thoughbelonging to a differentsection to those mentionedinthe last

paragraph Itis ofa bright green, the hind wings paler,and

the female has an ovipositor about halfas long as her body,

inches Itiscommoninmeadows,etc.,inthesouth ofEngland.

The Grasshoppers,which are about an inch long,belong tothe same family as the Locusts,which they greatly resemble,

except in size. The Migratory Locust(Pachyteles Migratorius}

is about three inches long, and the wings expand aboutfour

inches Theforewingsaremottledwith greyandlightbrown,

un-commonly met with in England,but it doesnot breedin this

country

linked together by links on the borders They are mostly

carnivorous,andtheirmetamorphosisiscompleteinsomegroups

and incomplete in others The principal insectsincluded in

MayFlies,and the Caddis Flies The DragonFliesarelarge,voracious insects,which live in the water during their earlierstages, where they undergo an imperfect metamorphosis, the

pupa finallycreeping out of the water,and giving birth tothe

perfect insect. The smaller species are generally foundinthe

active speciesareoftenfoundinwoodsand onheathsalongway

fromwater Libdlula Depressaisacommon species,measuring

about three inchesinexpanse,and withashort,flatbody, bluish

x3 THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.

is alargebrownspecies, measuring four inches in length, andeven more across the wings, which are deeply tinged withyellow The small species ofAgrion, etc., with theirslender

blue, red,and brown bodies and delicate wings,often do not

generallyfoundrestingonthe leaves orstems of water-plants

Dragon Fly(LtbelhilctDcpressa), naturalsize.

amongbushes,withfour transparent wings,somethinglikethose

three-quarters ofan inch across the wings Their bodies are

slender, and comparatively short; and notwithstanding their

beauty, they emit a very disagreeable odour Their larvcefeed

onplant-lice (Aphides')

The MayFlies (Ephemera} are found about runningstreams

They have longfore wings, about aninch and a quarter in

expanse, andvery shorthindwings. Theirtail endsin two orthreelongfilaments,often quiteaslongasthe body

broad and

THE ORDERS OP itiSECTS. igterminates in two long filaments The larva is found under

stonesin rivers

called Trichoptera,) or Hairy-winged Insects They are of

differentsizes,upto about twoinches across the wings

isvery imperfectly developed Theirlarvoe live inwater,where

theyformcasesforthemselves composedofbits ofstick,stone,

smallshells,oranyother materialsuitable forthe purpose,which

they can lay their hands on They assume the pupastatein

thesecases,sometimes formingaslightcocoon

Stone Fly (Perla Bicaudata), naturalsize.

are generally smallincomparisonwith thesizeof the body The

Theprincipalgroupsincludedin thisOrderare theSaw Flies,

the Gall Flies,the Ichneumons,theRuby-Tails,andthe Ants,

Wasps, andBees

The Saw Flies(Tenthredinidce} derive their name from theboring apparatus of the female being modified into a pair of

saws,which are used to cut a crevice in the barkor leaves ofplantstoreceive theeggs. Theseeggsproducelarvceresembling

those of Lepidoptera, but withfromeighteentotwenty-two legs,

The best known species is the Gooseberry Fly (Nematus

-THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.

black on the back,and measuring abouthalf aninchin length.Itsgregariouslarvaesoonstripthe gooseberryandcurrant bushes

oftheir leaves,whentheyonceget a footingina garden

The Gall Flies(Cyntpidce) are very small four-wingedflies,

the cuticle of

plants, and more especially on the oak The

puncture givesrise to an excrescencein which the larva lives

and grows. These larvae, however, are greatly infested with

parasites, and you maysometimes rear several different species

of small parasitic Hymenoptera from agall, without thereal

Manyofthempuncture the bodies ofcaterpillars, and deposit

thepupa state,whenthelarvae quit the body oftheir victim,

\IchneumonFly(PlmplaTurlonellce),Magnified

frequently forming theircocoons around it. The IchneumonFlies are often gaily coloured, with black and yellow mark-

ings They are slender, elegantly formed insects, with longantennae,andoften a longovipositor,whichissometimesformed

oftwoor threefilaments Thereare severalgroupsof

Hymen-optera besides the Ichneumons proper which are parasites.

Amongthese are the smallest ofall, the

Proctotrupidtz^or

THE ORDERS OF INSECTS. at

TheAnts, Bees, andWaspsfrequentlyliveinlarge

communi-ties,inwhich case they are the most intelligent ofallinsects

The workof thenestsisaccomplishedby undevelopedfemales,

called neuters,which formthebulkof thecommunity

Inants,the neuters are wingless, and the males andfemalesonly acquirewingsfor their "marriageflight," after which the

their numerousenemies, either return to established nests, or

becomethe foundresses ofnewcolonies Antsarefarmore

so-called "White Ants," or Termites, which have very similar

habits,butarestillmoredestructive,thoughhappily notBritish,

formnests inwoods,fields,or gardens,and onelittleyellow ant

{Myrmica Domestica)is common in houses, where it is

some-times very annoying from its numbers Like nearly all ournoxiousinsects,it isanimportationfromabroad,andwasalmost

unknownfiftyyears ago. Itisbelievedtobea Brazilianspecies,

calledhoney-dew, which exudes fromthe bodies of Aphides, or

plant-lice These they sometimes keep in their nests,

some-times tendon the plants where theyfeed,and sometimes even

superintendtheirbreeding Manyotherinsectsarelookedafter

byantsina similarmanner,or arefoundintheirnests;andit is

noexaggerationtosay that ants possess a much greater variety

metamor-phoses ofants, I willonly say herethatthey aremostassiduous

THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.

in their attentions to theirprogeny, andthattheso-called

Thesolitary wasps and bees form nests in loose earth, or

thespecies, andprovisionedbythebeeswithhoney,andby the

amanneras todisablewithoutkillingthem, sothat a store offreshprovisionsisalwaysreadyforthe younglarvae when theyhatch

IntheHumbleBees(Bomfais)wealreadyfindsmall

communi-ties,consisting of perhapsahundredindividualslivingtogether.

muchinsize,somebeingtwice aslarge as others.

TheSocialWaspsbelong to the genus Vespa, the species of

toeachother They maketheir nestsofa material resemblingpaper,either inthe ground,underthe eaves of a house, or sus-

\Vespa Crabro], generallyformsitsnestin a hollowtree. Itis

about twice thesizeof the other wasps, butmuch less common

inmostparts ofthiscountry, anditsnestsare much less

popu-lous

wasps'nests,yetevery colonyisfoundedbyasinglefemalewhich

has survived the winter Having constructed thebeginning of

anestbyherself,she continues her laboursuntilsheisjoinedby

provisionsandtend theyoung,until winter sets in. Then the

and arethemselves speedily killed by the increasing cold A

few females only survive the winter in a torpidstate, to form

freshcolonies next year. All the wasps which we see flying

thesewaspsin spring

The common Honey Bee or Hive Bee (Apis Mellificd) is

scarcely to be considered wild,and has been introduced into

every part of the world Ahive of bees contains one female,

of neuters, or workers, whose office it is to tend the larvae

and

pupae,constructthecombs, and provide food for the

com-THE ORDEXS OF INSECTS. 23

munity Thequeencannot bear arival; and wheneveraqueen

vivor becoming queen of thehive But in spring, when the

huff, attended by a numerous escort; and these become thefounders of anewhive Thisiscalled"

swarming."

TheLepidoptera, orScale-wingedInsects,include the

Butter-flies and Moths They havefour wings, clothed with a fine

the microscope, to be composed of elegantly formed scales.Theyare classifiedprimarilyby differences in the structure of

their legs,wings,andantennae Butterfliesflybyday,and have

ample, gaily coloured wings,andamoreorless abruptknob at

theendoftheirantennae Manybutterflieshavethe front legsmoreorlessaborted,anduseless forwalking Asexamples,we

butterflycommon in fields in summer, which has an eye-likespot near thetipof thefore wings, surrounded with fulvous inthe female; theSmallTortoiseshell (Vanessa Urtica?)>a reddish

butterfly, with black spotsontheforewings,andablack border

SmallTortoiseshell(VanessaUrticaf}^naturalsize.

spotted with blue round all the wings; and the Fritillaries,

with silvery spots on the underside of the hind wings. Allthese are rather largebutterflies, measuring aninch and a half

ormore across the wings; some of the larger Fritillaries

ex-pandnearly threeinches Ourmostdelicatelyformedbutterflies,

over flowers inwasteplaces,onlymeasure aboutan inch across

24 THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.

the wings Theyareparticularlyabundantinchalkylocalities;

and, notwithstandingtheirsmallsize,are very pugnacious, often

SmallCopper(Lyceena Phlceas), naturalsize.

driving other insects away when they approach the floweron

sulphur-yellow colour, as its name implies, is very common

inwoodsin England, though almost unknownin Scotland orIreland; itappears very earlyinthespring, andis tobe found

Large WhiteButterfly (Pierls Brassicce),naturalsize.

on each wing, and thus differs from its allies, the White CabbageButterflies (Pieris),three species ofwhicharecommon

inour gardens,wheretheir caterpillarsfeedoncabbage,etc

TheSkippers are smallbutterflies, aboutaninch in expanse

They have rather thick bodies, large heads, and a rapid but

somewhatirregularflight. Mostofthe species are brown withfulvous markings, but the Grizzled Skipper (Hesperia Malv<z}

is black, chequered with white They frequent woods and

THE ORDERS OF INSECTS. 2$

Wehaveonlysixty-five differentspecies of butterfliesinland,butabouttwo thousand moths Outofthislargenumber,

Eng-only afewcan herebementioned

LargeSkipper(PamphilaSylvanus), naturalsize.

TheSphingidtz are large moths, withthe antennae thickened

inthe middle, long and rather pointed fore wings, and shorthind wings Severalspecies, astheEyed Hawk-Moth, are very

beautifulmoths ThelargestofourBritish insectsisthe Death's

Head Hawk-Moth (Acherontia Atropos\ whichexpands about

fiveinches Ithas dark-brown fore wings, varied with paler,

andstraw-colouredhindwings, withtwoblack transversestripes.

body,is often found in potato-fields inautumn; but the

Hum-mingBirdHawk-Moth(Macroglossa Sfellatarum],whichhovers

THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.

over flowersbydayaswellas atdusk,ismoreoftennoticedthan

anyother species ofthis family

TheSix-spotBurnet Moth (Zygcena Filipendulae]iscommon

inmeadowsinsummer Ithas very thick antennae, and

mea-suresaninchormoreacrossthedarkgreenishforewings,which

are marked with six bright crimsonspots arranged in pairs;

heavilybyday,anditslarva constructs atough yellowish

Five-spot BurnetMoth{ZygienaTrifolii),naturalsize.

Five-spotBurnetMothisverysimilar,butlessabundant

evening Itmeasures abouttwoinches across the wings,which

are long,andcomparatively narrow. Themale iswhite above,

andbrownbelow; while the female has yellowfore wings with

red markings, anddullreddishhindwings.

TheGold-tailandBrown-tail Moths (Portlicsid) are common

Brown-tailMoth(Portheshi Chrysorrhcea\ naturalsize

quarter across the wings,whichare snow-white, generally with

have a large tuft ofdownatthe extremity of the body, which

thefemale plucksofftocoverhereggs.

wings,whichare black, withirregularwhitestripes. The hind

THE ORDERS OF TXSECTS. 27

or black white-tippedhair Itrolls itselfintoaball when

dis-turbed,andfeedsonavarietyoflowplants.

YellowUndervving (Triphcena Orbona), naturalsize.

The dull-coloured moths, with stout and moderately longbodies,whichflyingardensin the evening, represent the night-

speciesdomuch harm bydevouring the roots ofplants. But

they are not all dull-coloured, thus theYellow Underwing

(Triphccna Orbond) has brownishfore wings and yellow hindwings, with a black band near the hind margin; it expands

MagpieMoth(Abraxas Grossulariata), naturalsize.

The Magpie Moth (Abraxas Grossulariata)maybe takenas

the representative of another extensive group of moths, the

Geometridce It isoften found in gardens, and has a slenderyellow body, spotted with black, and broad white wings, ex-

with black and yellow, andthe hind wings with black Itscaterpillar feeds on currant, and, like all of this section, hasonly ten legsinstead ofsixteen, thefirst two pairs of the ab-

THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.

in apeculiar manner, forming an arch with its body at every

movement.

amongnettles,maybe takenasa representative of the Pyralida

trans-verserowsof large blackish spotsonall the wings;the thorax

and base of the fore wingsare yellow, the formerwith a few

dis-lodge ashowerofsmall moths, about three-quarters ofan inch

inexpanse, withbroad greenforewings,andbrownhindwings.This is Tortrix Viridana, and belongs to the Tortricida, alargegroupofsmall mothswithbroadforewings, whose cater-pillars feed in the rolled-up leaves ofplants, orelse in fruits,seeds,flower-heads, etc.

The Tineid<Z) to which the ClothesMoths belong, are the

most extensive groupof the British Lepidoptera, ofwhichtheyform nearly a third They are all small moths, some verysmall, manymeasuringonly a quarter or halfaninch across the

ClothesMoth(Tinea Tafetzella), naturalsize.

wings Their wingsare generally longandnarrow,andfringed

withlonghairs Notwithstandingtheirsmallsize,manyspecies

the Adelid<z, includes green or brown species, with very long

antennse,which in somecases areat leastaninchanda halfin

length,and doubletheexpanseof thefore wings Manyof the

larvaeof the Tineidafeedinside leaves,wheretheyformblotches

orgalleries.

The Plume Moths(Pterophondce) generallyexpand nearlyan

inch,andthe wings arecleft intoseparate feathers;two, more

or less united,onthe forewings, andthreeon the hind wings.

IntheAlucitidceeach wingis cleftinto six distinct feathers; but

we

SaturniaPavonia Minor.