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Mapa, plataa, charts, ate, may ba fiimad at diffarant raduction ratioa. Thoaa too larga to ba antiraly includad in ona axpoaura ara fiimad baginning in tha uppar laft hand comar, laft to right and top to bottom, aa many framaa aa raquirad. Tha following diagrama llluatrata tha mathod: Laa cartaa, planchaa, tablaaux, ate, pauvant dtra nimte d daa taux da rMuction diff<irants. Lorsqua la documant aat trop grand pour dtra raproiduit an un saul cliche, il aat film* i partir da I'angia aup4ria< ^r gaucha, da gaucha h droita. at da haut an baa, an pranant la nombra d'imagaa nicaasaira. Laa diagrammaa suivantt iiluatrant la mithodo. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cf^^yT^C^^ en y L^^^^-j THE ORDERS, SUB-ORDERS, AND GENERA OF INSECTS. r, ,, „ „ By WILLIAM COUPER, Co,: Mem. Ent. Soc, PJnlaJ.jNat. Hist. Soc, Montreal; Assutant Sec. Lit. md fiiat. Society, Quebec, [Read boforo the Society, 20tU April, 1864.] The animal kingdom consists of four great division.^, which are called Departments.— It contains about 250,000 species. I. Vertebrata— Mammals, Birds and Fishes. II. Articulata— Insects, Lobsters, Crabs, &c. III. MoLLUscA—Cuttle-fishes, Snails, Clams, &c. IV. RADiATA-SeaUre!h.s, Jelly-fishes, Polyps and Star-fshes The Articulata are animals whose body is composed of rings or joints. It embraces three classes : — 1. Insects.* 2. Crustaceans. 3. All forms similar to the earthworm. The Insects include three orders : — a. Manducata. Those which have jaws for dividing their food, consisting of wasps, bees, ants and ichneumon-flies; beetles,' grasshoppers, crickets and dragon-flies. h. Swtoria. Those with a trunk for sucking fluids. The various bugs, cicadae, &c.; butterflies and moths and the two-winged flies arc examples. c. Aptera. Those destitute of wings, of which the flea is a good example. Apterous genera occur also in Manducata and ^«f- toria. We find the first wingless parasites among the two- winged flies. In Heniiptera or bugs, some of the lower g»;oups^re^ingle ss parasites, and the wingless lower genera * ^""y ""^^ **»'>'»"* and fifty thousand have already been described^ 2 ORDERS, SUB-ORDERS AND GENERA OF INSECTS. of Neuroptera present more analogies than other insects to the MyriapodA, The above three classeB are also sub-divided into seven divisions, ocoupyitig an intermediate rank between orders and families, and called tub-orders. The classification of old authors is as follows: — • 1. Coleoptera — ^Beetles. 2. Orthoptera — Grasshoppers, Locusts, &c. 3. Hemiptera — Bugs. 4. Neuroptera — Dragon-flies, &c. 5. EifmeHoptera—Beea, Wasps, &c. 6. Xfipu7<>2><era— Butterflies and Moths. 7. Diptera — ^Two-winged fliea. 1. Beetles are known by their hard bodies, free and well-devel- oped mouth parts, and by their first pair of wings being hardened into sheaths, which are termed eli/tra. They pass a complete meta- morphosis to the imago or perfect state. Many of the species are aquatic. Beetles have been studied much L^ore than other insects « in this country there have been described some 8,000 species,* but from the difficulty of finding their larvoo and carrying them through their successive stages of growth, the immature forms of but few native species are known. The family forms are easy to distinguish and characterize; the genera arc based upon marked changes in the different parts of the body, which vary greatly, and some of the best characters lie in the relative size of the bead-pieces and those pieces that make up the flanks of the three thoracic rings, and the basal joints of the legs. The relative size and the sculpture of the body and of the elytra ; and lastly, the coloration, which varies « The definition of "species " is one of the most difficult tasks assigned the Naturalist. It corresponds very nearly with the common terra " sort," or " kind. It is that race or chain of beiugs, descended from common parents, and which always produces the same kind, or Tery nearly so. For instance, the white oaK is,a species, the black oak is another; and the acorn or fruit of one will not pro- duce a tree of the other kind. Insects being small animals, great care is neces- sary to avoid confounding the species with another, or making two species out ol one where the sexes differ. On the fact of the permanency of species bangs the entire system of classification. For if what is now a white oak may in a century produce a black oak, or a chestnut, and what Is now u frog may in five hundred years produce a bird, a description given by Aristotle or Linnajus, would bo of no service to us of this day. In fact. Natural History would cease to be a science. hrough ORDERS, SUB-ORDERS AND GENERA OP INSECTS. 3 much among the iodividuals, afford good specific oharaoters. The most productive places for the occurrence of beetles are alluvial loams, covered with woods or with rank vegetation, whore, at the roots of plants, or upon their flowers, under leaves, logs and stones, under the bark of decaying trees, and in ditohes and by the banks of streams, the species occur in greatest numbers. Grass lands, mosses and fungi, the surfaces of trees and dead animals, bones, chips, pieces of board, and everything lying upon tho earth that serves to attract insects should be searched diligently. Many arc thrown ashore in seu-wraek, or occur under the debris of freshets on river banks. Many oarabidjo run on sandy shore. Very early in .spring stones should be upturned, ants nests searched, and the waters be sifted for species not met with at other times of the year. The tiger-bcctles abound in sandy roads and banks of rivers, where the rays of the sun have full play. They run swiftly and are also very excellent flyers. They are captured by throwing the bag-net quickly over them. There are other ground beetles, called carabs, provided with powerful jaws, which are shorter and not so much curved as in the tiger-beetles. They are runners, the under wings being often absent. They run in grass, or lurk under stones and sticks, bark of trees, and in the debris of freshets, in the greatest number in spring. The following species are taken in tho latitude of Quebec :•— Cymindis laticollis Say. Bare. The beautiful little Lebiini arc found in autumn on trees and tops of composite plants. Lehia axillaris Dej. occurs in June, near the Hermitage. Platynns retraitus Lee. June — uncommon. " stigmoBus Lee. is found everywhere near Quebec. " atratus Lcc. " ohsoletus Say, common) The genus Amara feeds on pith and stems of grasses. Others feed on wheat, vlmam dttWa Lee. is very common in June. A. liftoralis Zimm. is occasionally taken near Quebec. Stenolophus con/uncfus Lee. is generally found under bark of trees— it is rather 1HR-. Fall oLus a/ifficoUis Emdall is found during the month of ORDERS, SUB-ORDERS AND GENERA OF INSECTS. Juno under stones on the margin of the Montmorcnci river. Elaphrus, which is flat, and covered with coarse metallic punctures, runs on the mud flats of rivers. The larvao of Calosoma ascends trees to feed on caterpillars. C. calidum, our common golden- spotted species, digs holes in fields, where it lies in wait for its prey. Another uncommon species, C. fnyidiim, occurs hero, but its habits are not definitely known. The Dytiscidse. or diving-beetles are, by their carnivorous habits, closely allied to the carabs. They are aquatic, flattened, elliptical beetles, with their hind legs ciliated, forming a broad surface for swimming. In night timo they leave the water and fly about. The larvao of DytiscidsR ore called water-tigers. The following species are taken in the vicinity of Quebec : — Dytiscus hffhridus Aub^. Cnemidotus muticus Lee. This species has lately been described by Dr. LeConte, in the Smithsonian Misc. Coll., part I. His speci- mens came from the Middle and Western States; those in my collection are from ponds near this city. Hydroporus rotundatus Lee. — This insect is also described as new in the above work, by Dr. LeConte. The description is from a specimen taken by me at Toronto, ten years ago. It is common in ponds north of Quebec. Hydroporus undulatus Say, taken with the above. <( <t tt u (( (t (var ?) catascopium Say. modestus Aub6. puheruhis Lcc. tenebrosus Lee. similu Kirby. insequalis Lee. Laccophilus proximus Say — not common. Agahus fimbriatus Lee. — In ponds, Bcauport. Of Colymhetes but two species have been taken at Quebec. They belong to the third section Cymatopterus Esch. C. sculptilis Harris, and C binotatus Harris. The Gyrimdse or whirl-gigs, are easily distinguished by their form and habits, being always seen in groups, gyrating and circling about the surface of pools, aud when caught, giving out a disagree- ORDERS, SUB-ORDKRS AND OENERA OF INSECTS. 5 able milky fluid. They are provided with two pair of eyes, two for looking into the water, and the others for rerial purposes. Hydrophilulr, also aquatic. They arc small, convex, oval or hem- ispherical beetles, with short antennre and long slender palpi. The larva) arc carnivorous, but when beetles, vegetable feeders, and liv- ing on refuse and decaying matter. This family unite the habits of the previous mentioned families with those of the scavcneer beetles. ° Tyislernus ,jlahcr llerbst.-In pond., Bcauport. HudrohiH. regular IS Lcc, in ponds—common. Silphidi^; carrion, or sexton beetles, arc useful in burying decaying bodies, in which they lay their eggs. Smaller species ivc m fungi, &c.-other geucra live in caves. The genus Catop, lives in ants nests. Another genus, Bmthinns, has been found from Lake Superior to Nova Scotia, about grass roots, in wet places Dr. LeConto, of Philadelphia, says they arc small shiny insects, of graceful form. The Stajihf/Unidic or rove-bcetlcs, which are of a linear form with rcmarkablj short elytra, arc largely represented in Canada! Though sometimes an inch in length they arc more commonly minute. They inhabit wet places, under stones, manure-heaps, iungi, moss, bark of dead trees and decayed leaves. Some burrow in sand. Tachimis picipes Er. occurs in fungi in July and August. Slaphi/Unm hadipes Lcc. Lately described by Dr. LeConte as new. It appears to be common here ; the latitude of Qudt.ec may be considered its most northern range. Ilisteridsc-^ThcsQ beetles arc square or oblong, hard, solid, shiny insects, black, with the prothorax hollowed out to receive the head which has prominent jaws. They arc found in similar situations with the last-mentioned family. Ilistcr mcrdarlus Paykull is com- mon in August. Dcrmestidse.—Evcry entomologist dreads the ravages o£Dennc,. tes and Anthrcnus in his cabinet. The ugly insidious larvro which 80 skilfully hide in the body whose interior it consumes, leaving only the shell, ready to fall to pieces at any jar, can be kept out only with great precautions. Dermesks Icmlanus is oblong oval. 6 ORDERS, srB-ORDERS AND GENERA OF INSECTS. two broad lines, w ■• .... ,i,..,*ii Aitthrnm mufir' /V.7/<VVrrHi//-/«a' Ku-. Very rave. ^ 7V,,//,.Wn7,Wa Mel. la trees, .luuo an.l .luly. rh!,man, faliidm Kr. May, in lungi-rare. Cncnjns chwq^^'s Fabr. Uarc. Lnemophlon'shiiJHnalmhcc. Hare. 1 Gnxr (loinmon in boneh. }hirrtophaifnsjlc.<''osns 8ay. common .l«rr<7.»»s7u7/a*Stcph. Common. rAa»<T.s/,.«.s nn,lu/atn>. Say. ^^^ ^^^^^^^ j.^^^^,^ n>/,rhHS also occurs m Canada. Wc „uu y undi^- .tone. ..c. When disturbed ^l^y ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ b^,. km amencanu. Lee. is very eommou m May and June port road. interest to a^ricultur- aU.tMVonUheiniurytboydoa.l.-ca^r.J^ by their lamoUatcd untcmu«, short, broad, thick ^o^7 l',. are.flattoued,and toothed ibr the purpose ot dig n.. .:ics a^ often armed .ith horns on the dy eu. ^mon ^^^ occur the largest of insects. Lu.onu. ^^^^^ ^ made ia the males. The larva Ibrms a cocoon of the dup ^^ i„ boring into decay.! .00. I^^-^;^^^^ yet ascertained, conlincd to the ^\ est. Arnoat found in the Quebec district. ^^ ^ .^^ M^lalon^na and allies arc leaf-eaters, ^"^^^l;^,,, .gs to cling on to ^^^^^ ^^^^Z::^^^^^ ^-^ Their larv. eat the roots ^^^^^"^^ ^^^^^.,,,,^ i, found on oval earthen cocoons. Maa'odcut>/lus,U ^ , -^^ does roses and rhubarb blossoms, in gardens, but, ioitunate y, ORDERS, STTR-ORDFRS AND GENERA OF INSECTS. not occur In tlio Lower Province ; but Lavhnogfmm, an nlliod genus, which docs much injury to apple and cherry trecH, in abuu- dunt about the wooda near tliis city. TrichniH ajjinis Uory is com- mon on flowers during June and July. iJirhduuj/cha /inmris Schonh 13 found on trees in June. Buprestiihir.—liccthH with elongate, flattened, very solid bodies, often angulated ; the antenna) slender and serrated, legs siii.rt— the' head is received into the excavated prothorax. Colors brilliant, often metallic. On being disturbed thoy draw up their legs and feign death. Thoy creep slowly, flyiug in the hot sun, and feed ou wood, flowers and sap; being found especially on lir trees. A great many species are found in Western and Eastern (\»na(la ; they are considered very destructive to various trees. Elalcrulx or snapping-beetles, are known to many by their power of righting themselves when turned on their backs, by jerking themselves up in tlio air, since their legs are too short to eateli hoi.l of the surface they are upon. They frequent the flowers (.f vihi,,-- num, of rhubarb, in gardens, and are found under bark, 'fl icir oro larva) are called wire-worms, from their long, cylindrical form. They feed orf the roots of grass, grain, turnips,' salad, cabbages and pinks, living in the interior of these stems. Moles devour groat quantities of them. Other species inhabit rotten stumps. They live several years in the larva state. The following species w determined since my former list was published :— Elatcr a^icatus Say.— Quebec. May. (hyptohypnns ? planatm Lee. June. * Corymhetca spinosus ]jcc. June. " nitidnhs Lee. May. " mcdianus Qaxin. June. " falcifictis Lee. Sericoso7nHs mcoiujrmis Lee. June. Dolapius fu&eosus Lcc. June. Phofinus (Ellycliina) /aenstn.'i Lee. Quob Hill's percomis Say. Poduhrus modcstns Say. Telephorus cxcavaius Lee. oc. .lum 8 OIlDERfi, SrB-OHDERa AND OENEHA op IN9ECT3i Meloi(lx.—'£h\s aud the following family avo most interesting, from their parasite habits, and demand careful study and obsorva- tion. Mche an(jmticolU» is an inch long, thorax very small, square ; the elytra are small aud oval. It feeds on grass in the rpring, in the summer it is found in the neighborhood of Quebec, feeding on CHatonui horealU. The larva is very different from the beetle, and as found parasitic on wild bees, resemble larva of some Staphy- linidie, being oblong, flattened ; the throe thoracic rings above of nearly equal size, transversely oblong ; the head nearly cf the same •size, with short antenmu; the legs have very long claws, with an iutermediatc long pad j they are found living on bees, between the jointu of the head and thorax, their heads immersed in the dense scales of the l)co. In Europe, this genus has been found parasitic on a beetle of the genus Cctonia. Our beetles, related to the lat- t.T, should be searched for Ihera. The eggs are laid on the ground, aud the active, larva) attach themselves, soon after hatching, to bees and to various two-winged flies. Cantharis, and our Ejyicauta secrete cantharidine, of use in pharmacy. E. atrata is found in abundance on Golden rod, and it is perfectly black, with long elytra. Epkanta atrata has been very destructive in the Quebec gardens during the months of June and July of this year. They were never known to bo so abundant before. Ccphaloon leptundcs Newm.— Quebec. Hare. lUpiphorm is parasitic on the wasp; Rqnilia on Blatta Americana, the cock- roach. Mijodilini is represented in this district by two species not yet determined. Calopus amjmtm Lee. June-rare. Dr. LeConte says that Quebec is an extrordinary locality to find this insect. The only one in his cabinet came from New Mexico. It is possible that Stcno- trachelus arctatus Lee., a genus of somewhat similar shape, may be found at Quebec. CurcuUonuht.—'niiH group is at once recognized, by having the head lengthened into a long snout, near the middle of which are situated the elbowed antenna). Their bodies arc hard and round, and often very minute in size. The beetles are very timid, and tevcsting, obflorva- 1, square ; spring, in ceding on lie beetle, jc Staphy- !i above of ' the same H, with an twecn the the (louse 1 parasitic to the lat- le ground, tching, to of use in rod, and it \ has been ha of June ) abundaut n'pJiorus in the cock- species not says that lie only one hat Slcno- ipo, may be having the which arc and round, timid, aotl OKBEKS, Sirn-OBDERS AND .ENEttA OP W3K0IS. 9, •lUiekly ,„ig„ Je«.h. Tho larva, .,0 white, thick, fle»hy, I,sle„ Krub,, wuh tubercle, i„„ead of wi„g„, ^i „„,j „; , ..^^^ ^ r flower.; „h,lo aome .ro leaf.n,iner,, a„d other, mate Rail,. Jlc. ore they transform they ,,,in a ,ilty cocoon. ^W,,,.,,- ,• ,., " , gga .u the pea, when in fl„wer,a.d live., i„ the pea til the fol ow |»g pnag^ &.„„/„„ iohahit. ,ho ,oHd trunk.' ol' oak,. JZ u. ah. , the ,ced, of Cover. /V„4,„ „„,„ , ,,„,„ „„, j^^ bark of tho p.nc, and lately I havo di.covered and de,eribcd another •rge ,pcc,e, .nhabiting pine, which 1 have named ,„•„.„*,. Til pu.0 ., al.o .„fc,ted by . wcovil 7 W„ „ro,,; wh ro it occur, „ all .t, ,t.ge,. mp,eh„n. nmupUar infcte the pl„„,. cJauZ ,ranar..., the grain weevil, i, an eighth of .n in',, long, and 1 ,un,e, the .nterior of wheat. B„,aui„. torn,, gall, on wil ow S<Wy«<vV<"^™ and ToMicu, are cylindrical bark.bor -, and th ' pmc, our lore,., are being largely dctroyed by, om-'th ! XCni;:"'" ""'^ "' -«»"en^au,f„g the di,:: «™«V,-.te._Tho longieorn, are insects with long bodie, «p.-r,ng behind ; the elytra broader than the prothora. the al:.' »».■ and leg, are long, and are large, handsome beetle, often ™ilv o.n„,„e.,te... Thoy fly in hot day, about wood, and hnbe, Lf^i ^ i lie following are additions to the Quebec list :- CaUiaium lujneum Fab. Rare. janthinum .Lee. June— rare miomane. Ihnaculatus Say. liare-Quebee, June 20»h Lio^m, macidatm Ilald. Gomin woods, July Uptura (Grammoptera) sphaericollis Say. " llneola^ny. June— common. bodv"and'^on'''"'/''T'" ''" ^--»^VA"^- i" it. elongated plants. There are several species inhabiting the Quebec district but D. emar,.nata Kirby i. the only one as ^et determ „ d ^ v frequent swampy places. ^^™ineu. llxc^, CV..W,Vfc-The ia.ee., of thi, fa™i,, h,„ hen,i,pherical ,0 o„.KS,S,BO...«--0-^—^"^'' 0,W«c.m .. •«<-(<» Say. oar.; „ CW*m.^ K-''^ J» ^^^^ ,^,„. TU. Northern AnoplUh ««« f"^';, .;^;;;,„k,„ i„ rt..West; the form .s 80 speeimeB. .re sn.aUer *»» '^f; r';„„,a ,ake it for a new »pec>e.. ,loea that an »»P«"X;jr». M the TI-mU»s«. J»— Bhjm (Mierorhopnla) P;"to i>i"" rare. ^ „ . „,„„. Taken with the former, p. (Mierorhopala) ^"-"-J^;™ „,„„,„., the squash beeti. PUynotrcta *.»!« » ™'S- ';. ^,; ;, „ kaf miner, .t» »■- to«* is aUo a V.ne-Wf ea^^ • J ^ ^^^ ,„, .„a w.ld ,,te larva making ga er.e, n th. » . .^ ^^^^^^^ ^ „,,, cherry. GaZeruca ''''"'"• *;.^, „„ uttle, Waek-colored, mo. „ripe,. «<.«»: r/°t .! '•'to-'"-''"™'''''*" T I tartful inseots,wh.eh destroy o™ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^,^ „„, spoeies of Caingrapha »'« J^'^^^^, ,;„„,. Xuy ornamented waw^ »d™- ^^^^„.„ ^^ pond, in May- eommon. . .„ ,„ ts„v var? Tlie Qnehoc insect Cfo-y»omotoC"»WesV-"""'<'_S^y-^» „/„Mt several European spcc.te. eomes neat scvLia ' „,, rneomnion. PachnepUrm W-""'"'" Sa ' '^ (arfi,».«i</.a <■>•"••■•";" '^t; was very eommon here on plum Oulerucu rnMa«g,u„ea Say «» ^ X ^^^^ ,„a ehoke-eherry '-»' ''^1 'n a - Itevmi.a.c, .June. /„,,„■«. «c,.<,r„&ay. Common ^^^^^.^^_^ ^^^,^,^ „r „,„ i„.eet .as takon at *= "-"'"'^ ' '".'..emisphericM. ,ener„iiy CocdndUJ^ ^'""'^■'''"'■'/■'"nnto black spots. r';»7»™."» >' red or yello. ^--tb """^J 1" ',.:";•„. oVeu in a .roup of black, with yellow dots, ^bo e . ^^^^^ j^^.^„,. ,u™,. plant lice (Ap^des) •, as -> '^^^ ^„^„,,i„, ,., tHeir ter- When about to tuTft -.0 pup^ - ' and them 1 is 80 lecicB. uue — mer. beetle cbec. , its m\- ind wild th black ;d, most Several )val, and M May- bee insect e on 1 iluiu une. oty of tbe vl, goncvally , a group of levour tbem. by their ter- ORDERS, SUB ORDERS AND GENERA OP INSECTS. H minal rings, to the leaf they arc upou. The beetle is as voracious as the larva. In Europe, gardeners take pains to collect and put them on trees infested by lice, which they will soon remove. We have about fourteen species in Canada. Cocanclfa tricusph Kirby. I obtained two or three specimens of this beautiful little beetle at the Hermitage-June. CoccineUa trifasclata Linn. Gomin woods— July, * P>/slIohoro 20.maci(lafa Say. June— common. I'hj/maphora pxdchdla Ncwm. Found under the bark of trees on the 24th May. Emmcsa lahiata Say. June— rare. Monldla .cxudlarh Fabr. Gomin woods-June and July Every collector should keep a daily diary of his captures and observations, noting down every fact and hint that falls under his notice. In this book, commenced as soon as the season opens in the spring, can be placed on record the earliest appearance, the time ot greatest abundance, and thcdisappcarance of every insect in any of its stages. Also, a description of larvjc, and observations upon their habits, with sketches of them; though drawings had better be kept upon separate pieces of paper, for easier reference. Ihe insects, when captured and unnamed, should be numbered and refer to corre.spondiDg numbers in the note book. At the close of the season one will be surprised to see how much material of the kind .as accumulated. He can make a calendar of appearances vt perfect insects and larva., so ■,, to have the work of the next ^oa.on portioned out to him; he will thus know when and where to look for any particular insect or caterpillar. A sweep-net must be employed to collect the minute species, strong brass wire makes the best ring for this net; then a bag is "lade of linen or IJerlin-wool canvass to suit the size of the ring, ^hieh IS attached to (he stick by means of a .orcw. The ring is •ringed m the centre for the purpose of being more portable, and the ends arc bent round and flattened, so that one end sits on the other on the top of the stick. I use but one ring for the sweep-net an<l butterfly-net; they can be carried in the pocket and used as u((uired. The water-nct is generally ..mailer, and shallow. It is 12 OBDEBB, SCB-OKDHBS AND OENEBA 01 INSECTS. ™de of various material, such .8 grass-cloth, coarse millinet, fine brass, concave, and fall of small holes. Aquatic beetles can be Led up in mud, »hich mil strain through the net, leav.ng them L be picked up. For bcetles.a collecting bottle .s necessary-one „ith a wide mouth is best; it should have a good oork, and > « "L to encase it in tin to prevent its being broken The bottle should be half-filled with fine pine sawdust, previously baked m an oven, to destroy any vegetable moisture ; the .awdust .s then . noTs tened with spirits of wine or good alcohol, and rt .s then ready rte After an'e.enrsion, the contents of the bottle are empfed 1 on a piece of white paper, and the new capt.vcs selected the.c from mounted on pins suitable to the size of the insects. 2 Grasshoppers and crickets have the month parts free, and the orltol nutrition very highly developed. The first pa.r of w,„gs a :Tt 11 partly hardened, to protect the broad nct-ve.ned und parr, "hi h m up like a fan underneath them. Their trans ormafons Ire not complete, the lar.a and j„.p,c resembling closely the n,u,.jo, both being active. All the species are terrestrial. ..The transformation of grasshoppers need earelul study. I'o this purpose their eggs should be sought for, and the dovelopmen of he eLbryo in the egg be noted; the date of deposition of the °* g : the manner of laying them ; how long before the emb yo is hashed; the date of hatching ; how many days the pupa, lives; alt so of the pnp» and of the imago; while the intervening hts should ' e'carefully observed. Birds feed on them in al their stages. lehneumon parasites prey on them, and also the lower worms. Ortheptera can be easily preserved m strong aleo- hoi and can afterward, be Uken out and pinned and set at leisure. Thev can be killed with ether or benriue without losing their colors. Many of th. species can be collected in the same way as Coleop- tera; they aro both numerons and destructive in Lower Canada, but, np to this instant, nothing has been done to collect them and study their habits. . The different sounds produced by crickets and locusts should be _o.-n„v.^^^;e^ . ov«ry anecies can be distinguished by its pccu- Urrotcf and as in different families the musical apparatus varies «Pe=:, a.d laid fl,.t „,, i„,,i„^j unnr,l k . '"'^''' '"'■™»^<i »' the «-»P» »™ .rue ,4,e: ;::;;;r'^ "^''^'- «-- -' '-« -ewer Afiuiitio epeeies should be taken ou( I,„ ,l i»g under „i„„,i„g .^^ ~' ''J "'" «»'or.„et, hy thrust- «r weeds, where s™!„ 'sp el Trtkt: T"' r''"'"^"'' «™»' »«o are found lurking u„der lo- 'l;""^],^'""'"'' ''V'^io. „C™,alI ««s or herbage,as f^ C e„ tl 1' I ' '"t""'"- ''^ '"^""'"^ "'•go number, oecur wbiel, 7 ,.'"'"'''' ""^ »"°"»^'-. H.ber„,tin,speei::;r:rnd":nd:la'r^^^^^^^^ T "^• The large carnivorous kinds are f„,,„V T' u ''""'"^ '^"^'» ';epidopterous larva -raus^:: ir r^^ 'Zr-* should be pinned through the distine. . • t ^'"<"P"ra middle, at the base of the Ig! "°"''" '""'"""'"' '" «■» '• Dragon-flies have the mouth nan, iv„„ ,i. ■ net-veined, tho hind p,ir boh,. ^'^""'' ""-' -"»«» '"rgc and Their bodie, are mo oXnga ^ th:! T, ''''% ""° '"^ "varies, metamorphosis is ineomrtt , , "* """"• '°'"<='»- The 'he per/bet inse a7 !' 7" "' P""'' "'"'"^ --•"« <o all the other .ub-orders Tb '"""'. '"^'°'" ^"»"« »»''l«gi- 'ho banks of pools aud r 'r, a^iTr '" "™''^' '"" «-»*' ' The large dragon-flies,w'ta„:;tr'°,''''"''''°°'"''°-''- brushing the body with aleohol or ° ' """ ^' ™"^' ''? ■hon the „ings ean' be fold 7 oge her a":!; """^'' '? " ™'' »"" hags, or pieces of paper Th„ n '°"""' ""^ P'««'^'i i" 'peeie»bouidbeSd,^::i-r'-x:::r:^^^^^^ distribution of the Northern Spades. G roculan d f^peciej. Arctic America !!!^""**" ." 1 ' Kussian Colonies " 14 ORPER.S SUB-ORDERS AND GENERA OF INSECTS. Cauada Labrador Nova Scotia ^'^ Massachusetts "" New York ^^^ as. Penusylvania ""^ North America contains 71() species. South America «' a07 " Deducting 53 t^i.ccios found in both North and South America, tho whole Continent contains 1,170 species. 5. IJecs and wasps are known by their hard, compact bodies, distinct head and niorax,thc small narrow wings, irregularly veined, and by the possession of a hard ovipositor, often forming a poison- ous sting. Their transformations arc the most complete of all insects. The pupa has tho limbs free, contained in a thin silken cocoon. The species arc all terrestrial. Dana, in the "Am. Jour, ol- Science and Arts", vol. xxxvii., states that '' the structures among bees, wasps, &c. are compact, comparatively uniform in proportions, and with rathxr narrow limits as to size, much narrower than in the butterflies, beetles. and grasshoppers. In bees, the integuments arc firm the parts neatly adjusted, and all well proportioned. Among them there is no imitation of the forms of other tribes, while they arc extensively copied after-a characteristic peculiar to a type of the very highest grade. The mouth has a suctorial lip for feeding ; but besides this, wcil-dcvelopcd mandibles ; and the.^c serve, in many species, for the high purposes of making nests, taking prey, and transporting young and fowl. The jaws arc therefore j>e/--/«»c- fiomt^. in these species, to a degiee comparable with that of the .iaws of a carnivore among mammals. The higher kinds also supply "the young with food, cither by storing it or by direct feeding— a quality approximating to that of the Altriccs (uursers), or highest sub-division of birds. The food is either vegetable or articulate- animal, not vcrtebrato-animal ; the animal food being thus the same in kind with the material to be made of it, just as among mammals, tho highest of carnivorous species live on the flesh of mammals, and oriy the lower ou ii^h and insects. Individuals of many of the merous in .spoeic, of ,11 iv , ">'"<■'•»?(«» aro ,I,e most „„. -0 boc. ieL „t„a.;a ^: :'::":' -^7' ''°'-"-»- -^-ey be sivo» to rear i„ tbc ,„„ 1 ? ""'' "»"«"">•• «>"i ■■."on.io,, trees. '^•'"' """«'"■(? of galls on Tarious ■»oab„.4i„refj;r;,::i~^^^^^^ "re eomplete. The caterpillar, (larvo^™' n """^'""""""'' e'.»ngbg to pupa, (ebr Jidc 2uJ ™"°°"" '"'"" «-. Son.0 of tbe LiLs ar L ' a!:':'';" ,°'' "' ""■ plants. . ""'ewnat arpiatic, focdjn.o on wafor- A few of our bnttorHies havc.been inlrodne-d into ,l • hy eommereo, from Europe. The F, """""'J' WooJ„d,eomm„„,a„d„,,3l:,„J,;„ '7'". """""" - Jonble- raro in England, wbere it i./ 1 d", rr'.r,'" :?' "''''" '' ''^ eatorpillar feed., o„ „,„. .illoj „d if'-'C^b r "'^■^ ""' po.=ied to be the P.h;, r.n,.-r of E„ro„„ " ''"■''"''' ""f" >-"«or«ie« in our neigbb rl.^d Zr ';:: "' "'t '"°" ™"'"- lirat .specimen of thi, butlertl.- • , , ^ °°"' ^ ""P*'"'"' "'« .' .-e^. .■arit,; l.„ ll^ 2 :; t l^t'd' '""' '"t" °" " ^ it i« called tbe lurnin b„t(.!fl ,""""' J° ™ ""'^^ I" England Aprilormiddleo ir V ^7'' V """"" "' "'" '"'' "^ «.crefore tbespo i !i-:r,]:r"'"T''''''^-™''''''''^'-fAng„,t, ' •- -^ierti: ':,;;.:;:;r;T ;:;: tt Here, it appears to !,«. r , '""f"^"). 't t-^ the same wit!, „s Sarden fence .,ere eabba.e .1 c^a:: M ^^CZi 16 ORDERS, SUB-ORDERB AND GENERA OF INSECTS. be verj interesting to ascertain how far this butterfly has penetra- ted the country. Westwardly, it has not reached Montreal, and it has not been traced south of Point Levi ; eastward, it has not been taken at St. Anne's, where a Lepidopterous collector resided dur- ing the time of its occurrence here; north-west it appears to have made the greatest inroad, for it has been noticed at a distance of thirty miles in that direction. I am safe in stating that Hve j'cars have not elapsed since this butterfly was introduced into Lower Canada, and it is now brought before the public as an unprofitable addition to our insect fauna. Biitterjlies are easily distinguished from the other groups by their knobbed antenna); in the sphini/es and their allies the feelers are thickened in the middle ; in the moths they arc filiform, and often pectinated, like feathers. Lepidoptora have also been divided into three large groups, called Diurnal, Crepuscular and Nocturnal) since butterflies fly in the sunshine alone, most j^phingcs in the twi- light (many of them fly in the hottest sunshine), and tl.e moths are generally night-flyers — thus showing that the distinctions arc somewhat artificial. In collecting them to pin dry, we must remem- ber that the least touch will remove some of the scales from the wings and bodies, thus injuring them for study and spoiling thoir looks. The collector should have the gause net, a box lined with cork, to pin his captures into. A piece of sponge, saturated with benzine, and pinned at the bottom of the box, will produce a strong odor, and prevent the specimens from fluttering. When the insect is taken in a bag-net, by a dexterous twist of the handle, which throws the bottom over the mouth, it should be confined with the other hand, with great care, and thoa pinned through the thorax when in the net. The pin can be drawn through the meshes upon opening the net. The collector can afterwards set his specimens to his own fancy. The catalogue published by the Smithsonian Institution enumerates over 2,000 species. 7. The two-winged flies, the house-fly for example, have the mouth parts formed into a kind of probosls; the second pair of wings are undeveloped, being reduced to a pair of pedicelled knobs, serving as halancers or j>o/,sers. Their transformations are complete. To this flub-ordor bclonirs (h V careful calc„l„«„„, tioZj T^ ^""^ ■■"» ^»«»»««d «-"»>■ The ;„,„„, armi; ;r ''■",''^'* """■•<-»» of dollar, p„ "-dod .ba„ ,„ j^;^"^ -vade our field, .re u,„re .o'T: 'tadjr th.e „•„ ,,.<, ^^ " g» ">erce„,rie. The uUIiey of . f ■»-' life, io order te f " Cft" f"" '"'•«„.er.„d hah J '"■oy»g their larva, or i„ iuo «L '' ' '^"■""'■™' ^'">^' "-^ <le,. ""'• These inseets ,ro ve^C "fuifiT""' ^^ '-' " >PP.- »-P», because the auteriorCLr""""'' ''"" '"o ^-^ -<> -penority. F,i„, „,,„ !^;™<"o orgaus have their uor«.I Pre-ure whioh destroys the "^ "Tr"'""* ^'''-S Aem h, « -e b, u.„iste.i„g the hot Jl"; ^ "r""" "'^ "" ^'"^ »°«ej^benz.„e, or „,h„. "* "'^ ""o ™"™H»g box with oreo- Maa;*:rt:i?t„t!i:::2\^™''«"'-^^ -t: id b"""" "" °-"' -- rr : ir °^ "■" '-'-' ""« must b r™""' ''•"' » "»'« ".adHf h'^"' "'' ""■°' P'«»'« "ay be d„,eru,i„ed. Leaves of , c sli V"''"" '""""'S 'bem V the larva, of i.sec,s, sueh as 12 . "' ""'^™"^ «ru.ed be earned h„„e aud treated irtrl; " '""""'"^^^ «-. ".o" d ■■Oct mode of ascer(aini„„ th "'"^ '"y-- ">« fe the most .„ "-P». aud ■oh.eu.uoumcs !:■""?' ''"'-^ "^ i"-ots B e " P«tty speei„e»s of the" Jo^^tf ."t"""' »-' --y v2 P^'a- of „oths eoustruet ue t lab .. ""' '° ^""«''«- Cate7 '«i« rort during „;„,„,, °?' hab tat.ous, iu „hieh their ehrt 18 ORDERS!, SUB-ORDERS AND GENERA OF INSECTS. mathematicians. I have collcctcil maoy pretty specimens of their work in this country. "The double effect of the study ol' entomology is to impart a cer- tainty to the mind and religion to the heart. The creation is a visible ladder by which man ascends to the invisible creator. Phil- osophy, politics, history, and morality itself, are subject to the intellectual revolutions of wavering humanity ; but tlie facts of the creation arc as invariable as God, and the analysis of a plant or an insect marks its demonstration with the seal of eternal truth." Children are liable to bo cruel and tyrannical when no direction is given to their minds. Give a boy a gun, and he will slaughter every living animal that is not the subject of property, without discrimination, without compunction or remorse. He kills for the sake of killing ; and the dying agonies of a wounded sparrow ex- cite no sympathy, no regret. Think you that if a companionship had been established between him and living things; that he had learned their valnc in the scheme of creation ; their uses in the economy of nature ; their beauty, their innocence, their helpless- ness, that he would thus destroy them for mere wantonness ? We know, from observation and experience, that there can be a f'ofteniug, humanizing influence brought to bear upon youthful minds through a correspondence and communion with nature's works. Those who are interested in birds and flowers must be re- fined by the association. An intimate connection with the varied works of creation leads the mind from vicious associations, an<i preserves it from contact and contamination. The man or woman educated to observe and reflect upon the condition of natural objects, can never be alone — will never want companionship. Under circumstances where others would be miserable and lonely, the naturalist may indulge in sweet, though silent, communion with nature, and Icok " through nature up to nature's God." i am indebted to A. S. Packard, jun., Esq., of Brunswick, Maine, for useful hints and extracts relating to generic and specifle defini- tion. YY v;a- ^^^^^H^^^^H^^^^H ^^^K: '^1 Dship T^^^^^?!^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H ^^^K ' '^1 3 had ' ^H^^^^^^^^H ^^^B-' ' s u the ^ '^9^^^^H ^■1 ' H pless- i ' ,'^^F!?^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^| ^^H' ' H ^\'c i ^^M^H^^^^^^^^^^^l ^Bk ' . ^ '' '"^^^^^l be a 1 '^^^^f^^^^^l l^^^^^^^r JI^^M Ithful 4I9| ^^H i 'tlil^H ture's « • ' ■■«^'* . ^^B jc rc- |HHH^< _^ ^ia^^^r- :MMMH^^B 'aricd ' 'sl^^^^l , and ■ "^^^^^l^^^^^l oniaTi itural iship. )nely, - '^'^^H union '/■ [aine, I lenni- 'f^^l^^^^ fl ^H ^1 J^^H^^^^ ^^^1 'I^^^^^H& >'., .Jj:-LJL2.£:±j.^:J _•. '^ ._ rStil^i^ •.■>t--.c .>- ^- - ___^ j^^^i flHH ■1 ■ ■ ■M H^^^^^^^^^^l ^H^H ^^^1 H^l l^lHiHi