WEKlRBY
ONE SHILLING
fcT
THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
PRESENTED BY
PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND
MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID
THE YOUNG COLLECTOR.
BRITISH
BUTTERFLIES, MOTHS
AND BEETLES.
BY
W. F. KIRBY,
Of the Zoological Department, British Museum', Author of "An
Elementary Text Book of Entomology," "European
Butterflies and Moths" etc., etc.
LONDON :
W. SWAN SONNENSCHEIN & CO.,
PATERNOSTER SQUARE.
1885.
Butler & Tanner,
The Selwood Priutiug Works,
Frome, and London.
8u
M3GS952
Phasgonura Viridissima.
[Face p. 3-
THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.
ENTOMOLOGY, or the Science of Insects, concerns a great num-
ber of living creatures, some of which we see around us every
day of our lives. They are far more numerous than any other
group of animals, for about 12,000 different kinds are known to
inhabit England, although the smaller and less attractive groups
are very insufficiently known at present ; and at least twenty
times this number are known to be found in other parts of the
world.
But in order to obtain a general knowledge of British insects,
it is by no means necessary to make yourself acquainted with
every one of these 12,000 species; for they have been divided
into sections, so that each individual species can be identified
and its resemblances to those most like itself perceived, and its
differences pointed out. When you have acquired a general idea
of the various sections of insects, you can then select the group
which you like best, and confine your attention to it ; but most
people, when they begin to collect insects, collect everything
which comes in their way, until they have formed this special
preference.
Naturalists have begun by dividing the various objects which
we see around us into the Animal, Vegetable, and Mineral
Kingdoms. The Animal Kingdom is again divided into several
large sections called Sub-Kingdoms, to one of which, called-
variously Arthropoda, Annulosa, or Articulata, insects belong.
The Arthropoda have no internal framework of bones, like
vertebrate animals, but their bodies and limbs are formed of a
number of jointed pieces, of a bony or horny consistence, to
which the muscles are attached on the inside. This outer cover-
ing forms what is called their external skeleton, and its strength
and solidity is such that their activity and bodily powers are
frequently far greater in proportion to their size than in any
vertebrate animal.
The Arthropoda are again divided into four principal classes :
Crustacea, including Crabs, Lobsters, Shrimps, Wood-lice, etc. ;
Myriopoda, or Centipedes ; Arachnida, or Spiders, Ticks, and
Mites ; and Insecta, or Insects. We need not now discuss the
4 THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.
characters of the three first classes, as the Insects are separated
from them by a great number of characters.
Insects have six legs in the perfect state, and no more ; four
(or two) wings, two eyes, composed of a great number of facets,
and sometimes one, two, or three eyes of another kind, called
simple eyes, or stemmata, on the tip of the head. Their body
is composed of thirteen segments, divided into head, thorax,
and abdomen. They have neither heart, brain, nor nervous
system at all resembling those of the higher animals. The
place of the heart is supplied by an organ called the great
dorsal vessel, lying along the back ; and the brain and nervous
system of vertebrate animals are represented by a double row of
connected ganglia, or knots of nervous matter, lying along the
lower surface of the body. They breathe by means of spiracles,
or air-holes, opening on each side of the greater number of the
segments of the body. The muscular system is highly developed,
the muscles being far more numerous than those of vertebrate
animals. Insects pass through four stages, called respectively
egg, larva (or caterpillar), pupa (or chrysalis), and imago, though
these are more sharply defined in some insects than in others.
They also moult their skins more or less frequently in the larva
state ; and although they sometimes possess more than six legs
in this state (and occasionally none at all), yet the larvae of
insects are not generally liable to be mistaken for any other
animals.
We have spoken of the thirteen segments of which the body
of an insect is composed ; the first forms the head, the second
to the fourth the thorax, and the remainder the abdomen. These
thirteen segments (except occasionally one or two of the terminal
segments) are generally distinct in larvae, but become more or
less welded together in the perfect insect, in which, however,
the three divisions of head, thorax, and abdomen are always dis-
tinctly visible, and are much more clearly defined than in the
larva state.
The head contains the organs of sense, and the mouth. In
addition to the eyes, there is always a pair of long jointed
organs called antennae, which appear to be organs of touch,
smell, and probably of hearing. After the loss of these organs,
an insect becomes wholly incapable of directing its flight. The
antennae differ very much in shape in different insects, and are
called simple, pectinated, lamellated, clavate, etc., accordingly.
Sometimes they are straight ; sometimes sharply angulated in
the middle ; sometimes smooth ; sometimes hairy ; and often
furnished with long projections, giving them the- appearance of a
T&E ORDERS OF INSECTS. 5
comb, or of the feather of a bird. Sometimes they are tapering
at the end ; sometimes knobbed ; and sometimes, again, they
have a series of long processes near the end, opening and closing
at pleasure, almost like a fan.
The mouth of insects is formed either for biting or for suction.
Those which have horny jaws are called mandibulate insects
{Insecta Mandibulata), and those which are provided with a pro-
boscis to imbibe liquid food are called haustellate insects (Insecta
Hanstellata). Most of the latter, however, are mandibulate in the
larva state, and many mandibulate insects are likewise provided
with a proboscis.
The three segments of the thorax are called the prothorax,
mesothorax, and metathorax respectively. The first bears on the
under surface the first pair of legs. The second bears the first
pair of wings, and the second pair of legs ; and the third bears
the second pair of wings, and the third pair of legs. The
under surface of the thorax is called the pectus, and the space
beneath the wings the pleura. The two pairs of wings are not
always alike, and when there is any difference, the first pair are
always thicker and narrower. When they are much harder and
thicker than the hind wings, so as to form wing-cases rather
than additional organs of flight, they are called elytra. The
wings are always traversed by a greater or less number of jointed
air-tubes, called nervures, the arrangement of which differs con-
siderably in various insects. The legs are divided into several
parts. First come the coxce, or hips, which are generally the
thickest parts of the leg ; next a connecting joint, called the
trochanter ; after which follow two straight parts, called femora,
or thighs, and tibiae, or shanks, respectively. Below these comes
the foot, which is composed of five joints, called joints of the
tarsi, and terminating in a pair of claws ; but in many insects,
the claws, or even one or more of the joints of the tarsi them-
selves, are undeveloped. The point of intersection of the femur
and tibia is called the knee ; and the knees, like the trochanters,
are occasionally of a different colour to the rest of the leg. The
legs, like the rest of the body, may be smooth, or clothed with
hairs, or spines ; there are often a pair of long spurs at the end
of the tibiae, and sometimes also in the middle.
In many insects, the abdomen is completely covered by the
wings when the insect is at rest ; while in other cases, it projects
far beyond them. Its latter extremity is often furnished with
a variety of curious appendages, which are either directly or
indirectly defensive or offensive weapons, or connected with the
reproduction of the species, and oviposition.
THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.
Insects differ very much in size ; the smallest insect known is
said to be a four-winged fly, the larva of which lives in the egg
of a parasite of a North American bee. This little creature has
beautifully formed wings, each of which resembles a single
feather. It measures one-ninetieth of an inch in length. Al-
though this is an American insect, yet we have several allied
species in this country, and need not despair of ultimately
meeting with a still smaller insect in England On the other
hand, some of the great tropical moths and locusts measure a
foot across the wings ; but we must be contented to regard the
Death's Head Hawk-Moth, which sometimes measures nearly
six inches across the wings, as our largest British insect.
Many of our readers will perhaps think 12,000 a very large
number of different kinds of insects to be found in one country ;
but insects are by no means so abundant in England as in the
adjacent parts of the Continent, nor are they so destructive to
our crops. Islands are always poorer in plants and animals
than continents ; besides, when forests are cleared, and marshes
are drained, numbers of insects are destroyed, and those which
are confined to such localities are very likely to become exter-
minated. It is almost certain that a few centuries ago, when
England was covered with marsh and forest, many insects must
have been abundant which are now rarely or never met with.
In fact, several different kinds are known to have become extinct
in England within the memory of many entomologists now
living ; and if this is the case among large and conspicuous
insects, it must also have happened to many small and incon-
spicuous kinds without our being even aware of it. The south-
eastern counties having the finest and driest climate in the
islands, as well as being those nearest the Continent, produce
most species of insects. Insects are much less numerous in
Scotland and Ireland than in England, though these parts of the
kingdom produce some species not to be met with elsewhere in
the British Islands. Although nearly all our British insects are
at least as common on the Continent as with us (and often much
more so), yet there are a few species and varieties, generally
confined to very restricted localities, which have hitherto only
been met with on this side the water.
These 12,000 different kinds of insects are divided into seven
large sections, called Orders. Some writers admit more, but
the seven great Orders are those which are universally recog-
nised, and the smaller ones are now generally treated as forming
part of the others. These date from the time of Linnseus, who
founded the modern system of classification, and are called
Panorpa Communis.
[Pace p. 6.
THE ORDERS OF INSECTS. 7
Ccleoptera, OrtJwptcra, Neuroptcra, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera,
Hemiptera, and Diplcra ; according to the general character of
the wings in each Order. The first four Orders are mandibulate,
and the three latter haustellate. But we must here point out
that it is impossible to place insects in a linear arrangement which
shall also be natural. Thus, even in the arrangement of the
Orders, the Hemiptera might be placed between the OrtJwptera
and Diptera; or the Lepidoptem between the Neuroptera and
Diptera, just as well as in the order in which we have placed
them above. The Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Diptera are the
three largest Orders, of each of which we have above three
thousand representatives in Britain ; of Lepidoptera we have two
thousand species ; but the three other Orders are much less
numerous.
The Ccleopfera, or Beetles, have hard horny wing-cases, beneath
which the wings are folded like a fan, and are then doubled over,
so as to fit still closer. Their larvee have six legs, and their pupoe
are inactive and mummy-like, the legs of the future beetle being
enclosed in separate sheaths. In some cases the perfect insect is
destitute of wings and elytra, as in the female of the common
glow-worm ; and in many other beetles the wings are absent,
the elytra being either movable, but of course useless for flight ;
or soldered together at the suture, as the line is called where the
elytra meet over the back of the abdomen, but the elytra of
beetles very seldom overlap. We will proceed to enumerate a
few of the commoner and more interesting beetles.
The Cicindelidce, or Tiger Beetles, are handsome, bright-
coloured beetles, with large heads and strong jaws, which run
and fly actively in the sunshine. The common Green Tiger
Beetle (Cicindela Campestris) is green, with white markings,
and is veiy abundant in many places. It feeds on other insects,
and its larva is also carnivorous, forming a burrow in the sand,
something like an Ant-lion, which is the name given to the larvse
of a family of the Order Neuroptera, a few species of which are
found on the Continent, but which has no representative in this
country. The Green Tiger Beetle is about half an inch in
length.
The Carabida, or Ground Beetles, are also carnivorous.
Several species of the typical genus Carabus are common, and
may be seen running on paths or by the side of walls, especially
in the morning and evening. They are oval beetles, about an
inch long, and are of dark colours, with purplish, greenish,
or brassy shades. They have movable elytra, but no wings.
Many smaller species of ground beetles may be noticed in
8 TItE ORDERS OF INSECTS.
similar situations, most of them being black or greenish, often
with bronzy reflections. One section frequents marshes, and a
Ground Beetle (Carabus Violaceus), natural size.
few small species are found on the seashore at low-water mark,
thus being among the veiy few insects which may be looked
upon as marine.
Dytlscus Marginalis (Male), natural size.
Although so few insects inhabit the sea, great numbers are
found in fresh water, especially in their earlier stages ; but two
or three families of beetles are more or less aquatic in all their
THE ORDERS OF INSECTS. $
stages. The species of Dytiscus are large, broad, flattish
beetles, found in fresh water, and are of a brown or olive colour,
with yellowish borders. They are veiy voracious, feeding on
Dytiscus Marginalis (Female), natural size.
smaller insects, and sometimes on small fish. They fly
strongly, and in the evening often quit the water and fly to long
distances. Many smaller species of Dytiscida inhabit our ponds
and streams ; but the most interesting of the smaller water
beetles are the Gyrimdce, or Whirligig Beetles, little black
beetles with very long fore legs, which may often be seen rapidly
circling about on the surface of the water.
The great group of Staphylinidce may be known by their very
Devil's Coach-Horse (OcyJ>its Oletts), natural size.
short elytra, which gives them a superficial resemblance to an
earwig without the forceps. They may be found among all
kinds of animal and vegetable refuse, though some are also met
io THE ORDERS OF INSP1CTS.
with on flowers. Some species inhabit the nests of ants, to
which they often bear a superficial resemblance themselves. One
of the largest and best known of the Staphylinidce is the Devil's
Coach-Horse, a large black insect with powerful jaws, and very
rapacious. If alarmed, it lifts up its head and tail, and it is
capable of inflicting a severe bite, which may be dangerous if
the insect has lately been feeding on any putrid substance.
The species of Necrophorus (Burying Beetles) are black, with
red markings on the elytra. They feed on carrion ; and if they
meet with a mouse or bird, they dig a hole under it, and gradually
pull and stamp it down into the ground, covering it up with
earth. The female is buried with the carrion, in which she
deposits her eggs, and then makes her way up to the surface of
the ground again. Hister is a genus of small round beetles, of
a shining black colour, with red spots. Their antennae are
clubbed at the tip, as is likewise the case in Necrophorus.
Some smaller beetles allied to this, but of a more oval shape,
belonging to the family Dermestidcc^ are exceedingly destructive
to hams, skins, and other dried animal products, Dermestes
Lardarius and Anthrenus Musaorum having received their
names from their food, or the localities in which they are found.
The largest water beetle found in England is Hydrous Piceus,
which is half as long again as a Dytiscus. It is of a shining black
colour, and is more convex and narrower than Dytiscus.
The Scarab(zid(Z, or Chafers, may be known by their short
antennog, the terminal parts of which are expanded into broad
flat layers, which the insect can open or shut like a fan. All the
species feed either on plants or on the dung of animals. They
are large, broad, heavily formed insects, though some are very
active on the wing. The Rose Chafer (Cetonia Auratd) is a
bright green beetle, with whitish markings on the elytra. It
measures rather more than half an inch in length, and is nearly
as broad. It is often found nestling in roses, whence it derives
its name, but is just as frequently found upon thistle, elder, and
other flowers.
The Cockchafer (Melolontha Vulgaris] is a larger insect. Its
larva feeds on the roots of plants, and is often very destructive
to grass-fields, whereas the perfect insect is equally destructive
to trees. The Cockchafer is brown, dusted with white in the
male, and the under surface is banded with black and white.
Several smaller species are similarly destructive to plants, one
of which (Phyllopcrtha Horticola) is called the "Buckwheat
Beetle " in Germany, where it swarms on the flowers of that
plant. But it is equally common and very destructive in
THE ORDERS OF INSECTS. it
England also. It is about half the size of the Cockchafer, and
has brown elytra, \nd a bronzy-green head and thorax. Shak-
speare's " shard-horn beetles, with their drowsy hum " belong to
the genus Geotrupcs. They are black beetles, about the size and
\
Gcotrufcs Stcrcorarius, natural size.
shape of a Cockchafer, and fly about in the evening. They are
black above and purple below, and feed on dung, as do likewise
the little beetles of the genus Aphodius> which resemble very
small Cockchafers in appearance, and are often to be seen flying
over dung, even on dusty roads.
The Stag Beetle is our largest British beetle, measuring nearly
two inches in length in large specimens, but it varies considerably
Click Beetle (Elatcr Sat/guincus), natural size.
in size. It is remarkable for the enormous size of the jaws of
the male. The larva feeds on the wood of trees, and the
perfect insect on the sap.
The Elatcrida are long, narrow beetles, with hard wing-cases.
12 THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.
The hinder angles of the thorax are very acute, and many of the
species have a habit of doubling themselves up when they fall
on their backs, and jerking themselves on their legs with a click.
They are therefore sometimes called " Click Beetles," and their
larvae are very long, slender, and tough, and are too well known
to farmers and gardeners as wire-worms. The Telephorida
resemble these beetles in their shape, being rather long insects ;
but they are of gayer colours, being reddish or ochreous instead,
of black or bronzed, and their elytra are unusually soft for
beetles. But their habits are predaceous, notwithstanding their
apparently fragile structure. The Glow-worm (Lampyris
Noctiluca), in which the male is a brown beetle, about half an
inch long, and the female is wingless, is allied to these.
The Tenebrionida and allied families may be known from
all the foregoing groups by having only four joints to the hind
tarsi, and five on the front and middle legs. The preceding
families have five joints to the tarsi of all the legs. They may
also be known by their antennae, which are moniliform, or com-
posed of a number of bead-like joints. Several species are
very familiar, such as the ugly, dull-black, wingless Cellar
Beetles (Blaps) ; the rather narrow black beetle ( Tenebrio
Cellar Beetle (Blaj>s Klortisaga), natural size.
^ the larva of which feeds on flour, etc., and is called the
Meal-worm ; the large soft-bodied sluggish Oil Beetle (Mdoe\
which has no wings, and only rudimentary elytra, and which is
generally found among grass ; and the beautiful green Blister
Beetle (Cantharis Vesicatoria}, which is found on ash-trees, but
which is rare in this country.
The great group of Curculionid<, or Weevils, may generally
be recognised at once by their heads being produced into a kind
THE ORDERS OF INSECTS. 13
of long tapering snout, near the extremity of which are placed
the antennae, which are often bent in the middle at a right
angle. They are of all shapes, colours, and sizes, feed on dif-
ferent kinds of plants, and are sometimes very destructive.
The Nut-Weevil is a familiar example ; the larva is abundant
Nut-Weevil {Balaninus Afucioii), magnified.
in nuts, and the perfect insect is a small brown beetle. In
these, and several of the following families, the feet have only
four joints to the tarsi.
Musk Beetle (Aromia Moschata), natural size.
The Long-horn Beetles ( Cerambyddtz] may be recognised by
their very long antennae. The commonest is the Musk Beetle,
14 THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.
a green beetle about an inch long, which is found on the trunks
of willow-trees, and emits a peculiar but agreeable odour. The
larvae of the Cerambyddce feed for the most part on the wood of
trees.
The Chrysomelida, or Golden-apple Beetles, are generally of
a bright green or coppery colour, and are found, often gregari-
ously, on the plants on which they feed. The Bloody-nose
Beetle (Timarcha Lcevigata), which is the largest British species,
measures about half an inch in length, and is black, instead of
green. It is of a roundish form, and very sluggish, and when
touched it emits a reddish fluid ; whence its popular name.
The Halticida are smaller beetles, which possess the power of
leaping. The destructive Turnip Fly (Haltica Nemorum], which
is of a bronzy colour, with a yellowish stripe on each of the
elytra, is the best known of this family.
The CoccinettidtB) or Lady Birds, have only three joints to the
Seven-spot Lady Bird (Coccinella Septempunctata), magnified.
tarsi. They are generally red or yellow, spotted with black ;
and are very useful insects, as their larvae fee4 on plant-lice.
The Trichopterygida, the smallest known beetles, which are
found among vegetable refuse, and are scarcely visible to the
naked eye, are placed here by some entomologists.
The Orthoptera, or Straight- winged Insects, resemble the
Coleoptera in the fore wings being much narrower and of a much
thicker texture than the hind wings, which are the real organs
of flight. The wing-cases are not horny, as in Coleoptera, but
more resemble parchment. The metamorphoses of Orthoptera
are imperfect, that is, the larva, pupa, and perfect insect re-
semble each other, except that the larva is destitute of wings,
which are rudimentary in the pupa. The pupa is active, and
there is therefore no lengthened cessation of feeding or move*
ment in the life of these insects.
The Orthoptera are rather poorly represented in cold coun-
THE ORDERS OF INSECTS. i$
tries ; but the Order includes several common and well-known
insects, as well as some of the largest and most conspicuous
species that we possess.
Earwig (Forficnla A urlcularia), magnified.
The Earwigs (Forficulidcc} somewhat resemble Staphylinidce
among the Coleoptera, from which the pincer-like processes at
Cockroach (Blatta Orientals), natural size.
the extremity of the body will at once distinguish them. They
generally fly by night, hiding themselves in crevices during the
16 THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.
day. Their wings are ample, but are perfectly concealed undei
the short wing-covers when not in use. They are very destruc-
tive to fruit and flowers a hollow apple, or the flowers of the
dahlia, sun-flower, etc., often harbouring a considerable number.
The female is said to brood over her young like a hen.
The Earwig derives its name from its occasionally entering
the ear a fact which has been denied, but which is indisputable.
The insect may be immediately dislodged from the ear by
pouring oil into it.
Mole Cricket (Gryllotalpa. Vulgaris), natural siz e.
The Cockroaches are also nocturnal insects. The commonest
species (Blatta Orientalis] is believed to be an importation from
abroad, and is generally known as the Black Beetle. This
description would apply well enough to Blaps ; but as Blatta
U not a beetle, nor even black (being of a reddish brown), the
TttE ORDERS OF INSECTS. 17
popular name does not seem very appropriate. The eggs are
laid in a single mass, being enclosed in a capsule j as is also the
case with locusts.
A less disagreeable insect is frequently associated with the
Cockroach in town -houses the Cricket (Acheta Domestica),
which enlivens the winter evenings with its cheerful chirp. It is
brown, but the Field Cricket (Acheta Campestris) is black. It
is found on heaths and commons, though it is not nearly such
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 paws of a mole. It lives in
burrows in the earth, and is rarely noticed above ground.
The Crickets may be distinguished from the Grasshoppers by
their long antennae. The Great Green Grasshopper (Acrida
Viridissimd), as it is called, is, however, really a cricket, though
belonging to a different section to those mentioned in the last
paragraph. It is of a bright green, the hind wings paler, and
the female has an ovipositor about half as long as her body,
which is rather short, although the wings expand about three
inches. It is common in meadows, etc., in the south of England.
The Grasshoppers, which are about an inch long, belong to
the 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 about four
inches. The fore wings are mottled with grey and light brown,
and the hind wings are green. Stray specimens are not un-
commonly met with in England, but it does not breed in this
country.
The Neuroptera (Nerve-winged, or, more properly speaking,
Net-winged Insects) have four wings of similar texture, not
linked together by links on the borders. They are mostly
carnivorous, and their metamorphosis is complete in some groups
and incomplete in others. The principal insects included in
this Order are the Dragon Flies, the Lace-winged Flies, the
May Flies, and the Caddis Flies. The Dragon Flies are large,
voracious insects, which live in the water during their earlier
stages, where they undergo an imperfect metamorphosis, the
pupa finally creeping out of the water, and giving birth to the
perfect insect. The smaller species are generally found in the
immediate neighbourhood of water ; but the larger and more
active species are often found in woods and on heaths a long way
from water. Libdlula Depressa is a common species, measuring
about three inches in expanse, and with a short, flat body, bluish
in the male and yellow in the female. The giants of the section
13
x3
THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.
however, belong to the genus dZschna and its allies. y". Grandis
is a large brown species, measuring four inches in length, and
even more across the wings, which are deeply tinged with
yellow. The small species of Agrion, etc., with their slender
blue, red, and brown bodies and delicate wings, often do not
measure more than an inch and a half across the wings, and are
generally found resting on the leaves or stems of water-plants.
Dragon Fly (Ltbelhilct Dcpressa), natural size.
The Lace- winged Flies (Chrysopa) are green flies, often found
among bushes, with four transparent wings, something like those
of a dragon fly ; but they are much smaller, measuring about
three-quarters of an inch across the wings. Their bodies are
slender, and comparatively short ; and notwithstanding their
beauty, they emit a very disagreeable odour. Their larvce feed
on plant-lice (Aphides').
The May Flies (Ephemera} are found about running streams.
They have long fore wings, about an inch and a quarter in
expanse, and very short hind wings. Their tail ends in two or
three long filaments, often quite as long as the body.
The genus Perla, including the Stone Flies, is intermediate
in appearance between the May Flies and the Caddis Flies.
The hind wings are nearly as long as the fore wings, the antennae
are long, the body rather broad and flattened, and the abdomen
THE ORDERS OP itiSECTS. ig
terminates in two long filaments. The larva is found under
stones in rivers.
The Caddis Flies are sometimes formed into a separate Order,
called Trichoptera,) or Hairy-winged Insects. They are of
different sizes, up to about two inches across the wings. Phry-
ganea Grandis is the largest and one of the commonest species.
They much resemble brown moths with rather narrow wings,
which are clothed with hairs instead of scales, and their mouth
is very imperfectly developed. Their larvoe live in water, where
they form cases for themselves composed of bits of stick, stone,
small shells, or any other material suitable for the purpose, which
they can lay their hands on. They assume the pupa state in
these cases, sometimes forming a slight cocoon.
Stone Fly (Perla Bicaudata), natural size.
The Order Hymenoptera has four transparent wings, which
are generally small in comparison with the size of the body. The
fore and hind wings are linked together by a series of minute
hooks on the borders. The female is always provided with a
powerful ovipositor, which is frequently modified into a sting.
The principal groups included in this Order are the Saw Flies,
the Gall Flies, the Ichneumons, the Ruby-Tails, and the Ants,
Wasps, and Bees.
The Saw Flies (Tenthredinidce} derive their name from the
boring apparatus of the female being modified into a pair of
saws, which are used to cut a crevice in the bark or leaves of
plants to receive the eggs. These eggs produce larvce resembling
those of Lepidoptera, but with from eighteen to twenty-two legs,
whereas Lepidopterous larvce never have more than sixteen.
The best known species is the Gooseberry Fly (Nematus
Ribesii}, a yellow, four-winged fly, more or less spotted with
20 -THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.
black on the back, and measuring about half an inch in length.
Its gregarious larvae soon strip the gooseberry and currant bushes
of their leaves, when they once get a footing in a garden.
The Gall Flies (Cyntpidce) are very small four-winged flies,
which deposit their eggs in a somewhat similar manner under
the cuticle of plants, and more especially on the oak. The
puncture gives rise to an excrescence in which the larva lives
and grows. These larvae, however, are greatly infested with
parasites, and you may sometimes rear several different species
of small parasitic Hymenoptera from a gall, without the real
owner being one of the party.
The Ichneumonida are a very large group of parasitic insects.
Many of them puncture the bodies of caterpillars, and deposit
an egg in each wound. The ichneumon larvae, when hatched,
devour the caterpillar alive, until it is full grown, or assumes
the pupa state, when the larvae quit the body of their victim,
\
Ichneumon Fly (Plmpla Turlonellce), Magnified.
frequently forming their cocoons around it. The Ichneumon
Flies are often gaily coloured, with black and yellow mark-
ings. They are slender, elegantly formed insects, with long
antennae, and often a long ovipositor, which is sometimes formed
of two or three filaments. There are several groups of Hymen-
optera besides the Ichneumons proper which are parasites.
Among these are the smallest of all, the Proctotrupidtz^ or egg-
parasites, to which we have already alluded.
THE ORDERS OF INSECTS. at
The Ants, Bees, and Wasps frequently live in large communi-
ties, in which case they are the most intelligent of all insects.
The work of the nests is accomplished by undeveloped females,
called neuters, which form the bulk of the community.
In ants, the neuters are wingless, and the males and females
only acquire wings for their "marriage flight," after which the
males perish, and the few females which escape the pursuit of
their numerous enemies, either return to established nests, or
become the foundresses of new colonies. Ants are far more nu-
merous and annoying in hot climates than with us ; but the so-
called "White Ants," or Termites, which have very similar
habits, but are still more destructive, though happily not British,
belong to the Order Ncuroptera. Several of our British ants
form nests in woods, fields, or gardens, and one little yellow ant
{Myrmica Domestica) is common in houses, where it is some-
times very annoying from its numbers. Like nearly all our
noxious insects, it is an importation from abroad, and was almost
unknown fifty years ago. It is believed to be a Brazilian species,
Red Ant (Myrmica Rubra), Male, Magnified.
which was first imported into the United States, and thence to
England. Outdoor ants are very fond of the sweet substance,
called honey-dew, which exudes from the bodies of Aphides, or
plant-lice. These they sometimes keep in their nests, some-
times tend on the plants where they feed, and sometimes even
superintend their breeding. Many other insects are looked after
by ants in a similar manner, or are found in their nests ; and it is
no exaggeration to say that ants possess a much greater variety
of domestic animals than ourselves. Concerning the metamor-
phoses of ants, I will only say here that they are most assiduous
22 THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.
in their attentions to their progeny, and that the so-called "ant-
eggs " are not really eggs, but pupce, which the ants expose to
the proper amount of sun and air required for their develop-
ment.
The solitary wasps and bees form nests in loose earth, or
sometimes in decaying wood, differently constructed according to
the species, and provisioned by the bees with honey, and by the
wasps with caterpillars or other insects, which they sting in such
a manner as to disable without killing them, so that a store of
fresh provisions is always ready for the young larvae when they
hatch.
In the Humble Bees (Bomfais) we already find small communi-
ties, consisting of perhaps a hundred individuals living together.
There are no neuters among them, but the females differ very
much in size, some being twice as large as others.
The Social Wasps belong to the genus Vespa, the species of
which are all yellow with black markings, and are very similar
to each other. They make their nests of a material resembling
paper, either in the ground, under the eaves of a house, or sus-
pended to the branch of a tree. The largest species, the Hornet
\Vespa Crabro], generally forms its nest in a hollow tree. It is
about twice the size of the other wasps, but much less common
in most parts of this country, and its nests are much less popu-
lous.
Although, unlike bees, there are always many females in
wasps' nests, yet every colony is founded by a single female which
has survived the winter. Having constructed the beginning of
a nest by herself, she continues her labours until she is joined by
her progeny ; and the whole colony works together to procure
provisions and tend the young, until winter sets in. Then the
wasps massacre the still immature larvae and pupae in the nest ;
and are themselves speedily killed by the increasing cold. A
few females only survive the winter in a torpid state, to form
fresh colonies next year. All the wasps which we see flying
about in early spring are therefore females, each of which will
soon found a new colony ; and if we wish to diminish their
numbers in summer, we can do so most effectually by destroying
these wasps in 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. A hive of bees contains one female,
or queen bee ; 200 or 300 males, or drones ; and a large number
of neuters, or workers, whose office it is to tend the larvae
and pupae, construct the combs, and provide food for the com-
THE ORDEXS OF INSECTS. 23
munity. The queen cannot bear a rival ; and whenever a queen
bee emerges from the pupa, a mortal combat ensues, the sur'
vivor becoming queen of the hive. But in spring, when the
hive becomes overcrowded, it generally happens that the old
queen and several of her successors rush out of the hive in a
huff, attended by a numerous escort ; and these become the
founders of a new hive. This is called " swarming."
The Lepidoptera, or Scale-winged Insects, include the Butter-
flies and Moths. They have four wings, clothed with a fine
dust which rubs off on the fingers, and which we find, under
the microscope, to be composed of elegantly formed scales.
They are classified primarily by differences in the structure of
their legs, wings, and antennae. Butterflies fly by day, and have
ample, gaily coloured wings, and a more or less abrupt knob at
the end of their antennae. Many butterflies have the front legs
more or less aborted, and useless for walking. As examples, we
may mention the Meadow Brown (Epinephile Janira), a brown
butterfly common in fields in summer, which has an eye-like
spot near the tip of the fore wings, surrounded with fulvous in
the female ; the Small Tortoiseshell (Vanessa Urtica?)> a reddish
butterfly, with black spots on the fore wings, and a black border
Small Tortoiseshell (Vanessa Urticaf}^ natural size.
spotted with blue round all the wings ; and the Fritillaries,
which are fulvous butterflies spotted with black, and generally
with silvery spots on the under side of the hind wings. All
these are rather large butterflies, measuring an inch and a half
or more across the wings ; some of the larger Fritillaries ex-
pand nearly three inches. Our most delicately formed butterflies,
the Small Blue and Copper Butterflies, which we see flitting about
over flowers in waste places, only measure about an inch across
24 THE ORDERS OF INSECTS.
the wings. They are particularly abundant in chalky localities ;
and, notwithstanding their small size, are very pugnacious, often
Small Copper (Lyceena Phlceas), natural size.
driving other insects away when they approach the flower on
which they are resting.
The Brimstone Butterfly (Gonepteryx Rhamni], which is of a
sulphur-yellow colour, as its name implies, is very common
in woods in England, though almost unknown in Scotland or
Ireland ; it appears very early in the spring, and is to be found
Large White Butterfly (Pierls Brassicce), natural size.
through a great part of the year. It has an angular projection
on each wing, and thus differs from its allies, the White
Cabbage Butterflies (Pieris), three species of which are common
in our gardens, where their caterpillars feed on cabbage, etc.
The Skippers are small butterflies, about an inch in expanse.
They have rather thick bodies, large heads, and a rapid but
somewhat irregular flight. Most of the species are brown with
fulvous markings, but the Grizzled Skipper (Hesperia Malv. 38.
HANDBOOK OF BEETLES. 39
plied, frequent grass, flowers, and trees ; and others, again, Veed
on dung and other decaying substances. Many beetles fly little,
and most of those which do have a heavy flight, and are very
easy to capture.
Having collected your beetles, you have next to set them, and
it is always better to do so as soon as possible after they are
killed ; but if they have become too stiff, or if you are unable
to set them immediately, they should be dropped into a jar half
filled with chopped laurel, which must not be allowed to get
mouldy. Those in spirit will keep for some time, but it is
always better to set everything as soon as possible.
Large beetles must be pinned through the right wing-case,
and their legs and antennae spread out and kept in as natural
a position as possible by means of pins, which must not be
thrust through any part of the insect, but merely used to fix the
limbs in position. Common pins are too thick and stiff for
entomological use ; but proper insect pins can be purchased of
any dealer in objects of natural history. It is not customary to
spread the wings of beetles. Smaller beetles may be gummed on
cards, their limbs arranged in a natural position, and left to dry.
The gum used is prepared of gum tragacanth, to which a little
gum arable and acetic acid has been added. It is better to rule
cards into sections of equal shape and size, and to mount a beetle
on each ; they can then be cut up afterwards. The cards used
in England are cut into an oblong form, but those employed on
the Continent are long and pointed, the beetle being often
mounted at the very tip. The former method has the neatest
appearance in the cabinet. The boxes used to keep insects in
are generally made double, like a backgammon board, and are
lined top and bottom with cork. A little camphor or solid
naphthaline must be kept in each box, to drive away mites. The
collector will find it useful to keep some record of his captures,
and the shortest way is to write a reference number beneath each
card, or to stick a small ticket on the pin bearing a date corre-
sponding with the entries in his journal, thus i885> 7, 10 (July
10, 1885). This arrangement secures the utmost brevity, with
perfect facility of reference ; for next year you will begin again
in the same way, and thus avoid a long row of figures.
But now, having got together the nucleus of a collection of
British beetles, how are you to begin to classify them ? We
have about 3,000 different kinds of beetles in this country, and
at first sight it would seem to be a hopeless task to set about
finding the name of any particular beetle ; yet, as everything
known about beetles is registered according to the name of each,
40 THE YOUNG COLLECTOR'S
we shall never be able to make any practical advance in our
knowledge of the subject, unless we are able, not indeed to name
every specimen offhand (for this is scarcely within the power of
the most experienced Coleopterist), but at least to assign it to
its place in the system with approximate accuracy.
First of all, how do we ascertain that our insect is really a
beetle ? Beetles belong to the Order Coleoptera, or case- winged
insects. They have four wings, like most other insects ; but the
two first are modified into stiff wing-covers called elytra, which
protect the delicate transparent under-wings, when these are
not in use, and serve rather as poisers than as locomotive organs
during flight. The elytra are generally hard and horny, though
sometimes of a leathery consistency, but always much stouter in
texture than the lower wings. They almost always meet down
the middle of the back in a straight suture. In some families,
especially in the Staphylinidce and allied families, which are often
called Drachelytra on that account, they are very short, leaving
the greater part of the abdomen exposed. In some wingless
beetles the elytra are present and movable, and in others they
are soldered together ; while in a few instances, as in the female
of the common glow-worm, both wings and elytra are absent.
The character of the wings at once separates the Coleoptera
from all orders of insects except the Orthoptera and the Hemip-
tera; but the last have a strong proboscis for imbibing their food,
whereas the Coleoptera are provided with mandibles for biting.
There remains the Orthoptera; but in these insects, the tegmina,
as their wing-cases are called, differ much less from the lower
wings ; they are generally more 01 less veined, and often overlap
each other, in all which characters they differ from Coleoptera ;
besides, the Orthoptera have imperfect metamorphoses that is,
the stages of larva, pupa, and perfect insect are not sharply
defined ; but in Coleoptera the metamorphosis is complete, and
a beetle passes through the four stages of egg, larva, pupa,
and imago, or perfect beetle.
The larvae of beetles are white maggots, with a hard head, and
sex legs, and the pupa is inactive ; but the cases which enclose
the various parts of the perfect insect are much more clearly
visible than in the pupae of Lepidoptera.
Before proceeding to give a short sketch of the principal
sections into which the great Order Coleoptera has been divided
by Entomologists, it will be necessary to notice a few more points
in the structure of beetles. Their bodies are divided, like those
of other insects, into three principal portions ; viz. , head, thorax,
and abdomen. The most important parts of the head are the
HANDBOOK OF BEETLES.
eyes, the antennse, and the mouth. There are two large com-
pound eyes, one on each side of the head ; and two additional
simple eyes, or ocelli, are occasionally present, placed on the top of
the head. The antennse, or feelers, which are long, jointed organs,
are very important in classification, as they differ very much in
structure in different families. They may be filiform, or thread-
like ; moniliform, or bead-like ; pectinate, or feathery ; clavate, or
knobbed at the tip ; lamellate, or furnished with a series of broad
layers at the end opening out like a fan, etc. The mouth is
composed of a variety of organs, which cannot here be described
in detail; but we may mention the mandibles, crupper jaws, the
maxillae, or lower jaws, the labrum and labium, or upper and
lower lip respectively, and the mentum, or chin. To the maxillee
and the labium are attached pairs of small feelers, called the
maxillary and labial palpi respectively, and composed of only a
few joints.
The thorax is composed of three segments soldered together,
called the prothorax, mesothorax, and metathorax respectively.
To the lower side of each is attached a pair of legs ; the elytra
are attached to the mesothorax, and the wings to the metathorax.
The legs are composed of the following principal parts : the
coxae, or hips ; the trochanters, or joints below the coxae ; the
femora, or thighs ; the tibiee, or shanks ; and the tarsi, or feet.
The tarsi consist of from three to five joints ; five is the normal
number, and the principal exceptions will be. specified. The
abdomen requires little special notice here,
is flattish above and convex below,
and covered by the wings and elytra
when these are closed.
The Coleoptera are divided into a
great number of families and sub-
families, which are classed together
into larger groups, the first of which,
the Adephaga, contains the carnivorous
ground-beetles, and the water-beetles
of the section Hydrodephaga. The /
ground-beetles, or Geodephaga, have J
long slender filiform antennge, and
powerful jaws. They are divided into
two families, the Cicindelidce and
Ccirabidtz.
The Cicindelidtz, or Tiger Beetles, A
are very active predaceous insects, with Tiger Beetle (Cicindela Cam*
large heads and eyes, and long slender fcstris). (Mag.)
In most beetles it
42
THE VOVNG COLLECTOR'S
legs and antennae. The beautiful green Tiger Beetle (Cidndela
Campestris) is very common in sandy places, flying or running
with great agility. Its larva forms a burrow in loose earth, very
much like that of an Ant-Lion.
The species of Carabus are the largest of the Carabidce, several
measuring an inch or more in length. They are long, oval
insects, and are black, often with . violet borders, or are
more or less metallic in their colouring. The metallic species
vary from dull bronze to brilliant green. Their wings are
rudimentary, and they come out at dusk, and prowl about
in search of prey during the night, though they may some-
times be found running beneath walls, or along paths dur-
ing the daytime, especially in spring. Many smaller species
of Carabidce, belonging to the genera
Pterostichusi Harpalus, Amara, etc.,
are very common on paths in cornfields,
and in similar localities. Many are
black, bronzed, or green, while others
are more brightly coloured. Although
they are carnivorous, and probably de-
stroy large numbers of injurious insects,
yet it appears to be pretty well ascer-
tained that they will sometimes attack
corn; and one black species (Zabrus
Gibbus), about half an inch long, is said
to be very destructive to young wheat.
Harpalus ^Eneus, a very common
species, varies considerably in colour,
but has always red legs and antennae.
Many Geodephaga, and other beetles, will attempt
to defend themselves by discharging a disagreeable
acrid fluid when handled ; but the Bombardier
Beetles (Brachinus) have a more unusual mode of
defence. They are small beetles, about a quarter
of an inch in length, and are found under stones.
The head and thorax are reddish, and the elytra
are bluish or greenish. If they are alarmed, they
discharge a slightly acid fluid, which immediately
Bombardier volatilize s into smoke, each discharge being accom-
Bectle (Brachi- panied by a slight explosion.
nus Sclopetd), Many small species belonging to the genus
(Mag.) Bembidium, though not exactly aquatic insects,
frequent marshy places. They are generally black or bronzy,
with yellowish spots and markings. The species of Aepus are
tfANDBOOK OF BEETLES.
43
very small apterous yellowish beetles, found on the seashore
at low-water mark; and as they are covered by the water
for several hours every day, they may fairly be regarded as true
Aepus RoUnii. (Mag.)
marine insects. They are sometimes accompanied by Aepo-
pkihis Bonnairei, a small insect of very similar appearance and
habits, but belonging to the Order Hemiptera, or Bugs
The Hydradephaga, or carnivorous
Water-Beetles, include the two families
Dytiscida and Gyrinida. The Dytis-
tidce may be known from other water
beetles by their long, slender antennae,
short palpi, and the structure of their
legs. The front pair of legs is generally
short, with the basal joints of the tarsi
more or less dilated, at least in the
males ; in one group (the Hydroporides)
the four front tarsi are only four-jointed.
The largest and some of the commonest
of the Dytiscidcs belong to the typical
genus Dytiscus. They are olive green,
or brown, with yellowish borders to the
thorax and elytra. Water-beetles^ are
generally very smooth and shining,
but the elytra of Dytiscus, and several
Nat. Size. (
allied genera, are furrowed in the female. The Dytisci arc
44
THE YOUNG COLLECTOR'S
very active and voracious insects,
swimming about by day with the
aid of their long hind legs, the tarsi
of which are provided with a fringe
of long hairs, and thus act as oars.
These beetles will even attack and de-
stroy small fisli ; and as they hybernate,
they may be met with in the perfect state
nearly all the year round. Their larvae
are also carnivorous, and are likewise
aquatic ; but the beetles leave the water
in the evening, and sometimes fly to a
great distance. The smaller species of
Dytiscida: are generally black or green-
ish, more or less marked with yellow ;
Dytiscns Marginnlis. some of them are very pretty ; and while
Nat. Size. (Female.) some species prefer running water, others
are more often found in stagnant pools.
The next family, the Gyrinidiz, Or Whirligig Beetles, includes
the most curious of all our water-beetles, as well as those which
most readily attract the attention of
those who are not specially looking
for them. They are oval, bluish-
black beetles, about a quarter of an
inch long, very smooth and shining,
with very long front legs, and the
two hinder pairs short and broad.
They may be seen spinning in circles
on the surface of the water through-
out the summer. But the most re-
markable peculiarity is in their eyes,
which are completely divided in two,
so that they may actually be said to
have two eyes on the top of the
head, and two on its lower surface,
so that they can look upwards and
downwards at the same time. There
are very few other insects which possess so remarkable an ap-
paratus.
The Palpicornia are a group of beetles which some authors
place here, though others place them considerably further on.
They include the two families Hydrophilida and Sphceridiida,
and may be known by their short, clubbed antennae, and their very
long palpi, which are as long or longer than the antennae. The
Whirligig Beetle (Gytinus
Natator), (Mag.)
HANDBOOK OF BEETLES.
45
HydrophilidcB are water-beetles, and one of them, Hydrophilus
Pueus, is our largest water-beetle, measuring more than an inch
and a half m length, though scarcely as broad as the Dytisci ;
Hydrous Caraboides is a smaller insect. Both these species are
Hydrous Caraboides. (Mag.)
black and shining, and are found in stagnant water. They and
their larvae are carnivorous, feeding on small insects, etc.,
though the beetles are much less voracious than the Dytiscidir,
and feed to a greater 01 less extent on vege-
table as well as animal matter. The females
construct a silken silvery case to contain their
eggs, provided with a tube at one end, which
floats on the surface of the water, the egg-case
itself being fixed to some plant. The smaller
beetles of this family are mostly to be found
in stagnant water among the roots of plants,
though some few are not strictly aquatic.
Laccobius Minutus, which we have figured, a
common aquatic insect, is a little round black
beetle, with pale yellow legs, mouth, and antennae.
The Spharidiidtz are small round black beetles, sometimes
spotted with red, which live in dung and under stones ; a few
species have yellowish elytra.
The Brachelytra are a very extensive group, differing very
much in size and habits, but easily to be recognised by their
very short elytra, which leave the greater part of the abdomen
46 THE YOUNG COLLECTOR'S
exposed ; in fact, they much resemble an earwig in shape, except
the forceps. This and the succeeding groups are divided into
so many families that our limits will only permit us to mention
some of the most important. Many of the species of Brachely-
tra are black, often with a bluish or greenish reflection, but
others have the elytra, or their whole bodies, reddish or yel-
lowish.
The Akocharidcs are a very large family, including many
small species, which are found under stones and bark, in
marshy places among rushes, in fungi, under dead leaves, etc.
Many species are found in or near ants' nests, and we have
figured Myrmedonia Collaris in illustration, though it is not
a very common species. It is a small insect, about one-sixth
of an inch in length, and is black, with the thorax and abdo-
men, except the tip, black. What relation the beetles which
Myrmedonia Collaris. VelleinsDilatahts.
(Mag.) Nat. Size.
inhabit ants' nests bear" to the ants, is not certainly known ; but
it is probable that they are employed in some manner as
domestic animals. Velldus Dilatatus, which we have figured
as a representative of the Quediida, is a black insect, about
three-quarters of an inch in length, with reddish-brown antennae.
It is nowhere common, but is generally met with in hornets'
nests, though found occasionally in the hollows of rotten trees
where no hornets are present ; its larva has some resemblance
to that of the hornet.
The largest of the Brachelytra is a large black beetle, popu-
larly called the Devil's Coach Horse (Ocyfus Olens). It often
HANDBOOK OF BEETLES.
47
exceeds an inch in length, and feeds on dung or carrion. It runs
about on roads, etc., by day, and, if touched, turns up its head
and tail. It is armed with powerful jaws, and emits a very un-
pleasant smell. This insect belongs to the family Stapkyltnitfa,
and is common everywhere.
The Clavicornia are a rather extensive group, with clubbed
antennae, but their palpi are much shorter than in the Palpi-
cornia^ which some writers include in the
present family.
The Necrophorida, or Burying Beetles, are
black beetles, generally with transverse orange
bands. They measure from half an inch to an
inch in length, and the elytra are too short to
reach to the extremity of the abdomen. They
generally hunt in pairs, and if they find a dead
mouse or bird, they carefully bury it by *~ -*
digging away the earth beneath, and pulling f j
and stamping it down. After working for a Burying Beetle
day or two, with occasional intervals of rest, (Necrophorus Rns-
the male finally buries his mate with the car- /*"* Nat - Slze -
case, in which she deposits her eggs, and then makes her way
to the surface again.
The Silphida are smaller and rounder insects, which likewise
feed on carrion, and measure about half
an inch in length. They are generally
black, often with raised ridges on the
elytra ; but in Silpha Thoracica the thorax
is reddish, and S. Quadripunctata has
yellowish elytra, with two round black
spots on each side. The largest species,
S. Littoralis, more resembles a Necro-
phorus in shape ; it is black, with the tip
of the abdomen reddish. They may
often be seen running on paths by day.
The Histerida are round black shining
beetles, sometimes marked with red, which
are found in dung, etc. Their form, and the very prominent
club of the antennae, render them rather conspicuous among
our smaller beetles ; they are about a quarter of an inch in
length.
Many of the Clavicornia live in carrion, fungi, ants' nests,
under bark, or in other situations where they are not only harm-
less, but useful as scavengers ,' but the Dermestida are extremely
injurious to hides, furs, etc. \ the most destructive of all being
Silpha Thoracica.
Nat. Size.
4 8
THE YOUNG COLLECTOR'S
Dermestes Lardarius, the curious hairy larvce of which will soon
hollow out a ham, leaving nothing but the skin. The beetle is
Dermestes Lardarins (Larva). (Mag.)
Bacon Beetle
{Dermestes Lardarhts).
(Mag.) Dermestes Lardartus. (Pupa.) (Mag.)
black, with a broad brownish-grey band on the elytra, marked
with three black spots on each side.
We have now arrived at the family Lamellicornia^ which
includes many of our largest and most conspicuous beetles.
They derive their name from their antennae terminating in a
series of flat layers, which open or close at pleasure.
The largest of our British beetles is the Stag Beetle (Lucamts
Cerwis), (vide frontispiece), not an uncommon insect in the south
of England, where it may be found in woods, resting on or near
the roots of trees. The larva feeds on wood, and the perfect
insect feeds on the sap of trees, etc. ; it is said to saw off the
ends of twigs with its jaws, by whirling itself round on the
wing. The beetles, especially the males, differ considerably
in size and in the development of the jaws ; and the female is
able to give a sharper nip with her jaws than the male, although
they are very small in comparison.
The Sacred Beetle of the Egyptians belongs to the family
ScarabcRida. We have no species in England which has the
peculiar ray-like teeth round the head; but our nearest
approach to it is Copris Lnnaris, a black round beetle with
a broad head, and a long horn in the middle iu the
male,
HANDBOOK OF BEETLES.
Typhaus Vulgaris, which belongs to the family Geotrupida,
has also a short horn in the middle of the
forehead ; the male is provided with three
horns in front of the thorax, projecting for-
wards, and the tibiae are strongly toothed.
The typical species of Geotrupes are
roundish black beetles, often purplish be-
neath, which fly about heavily in the
evening. They all feed on dung, like the
two species last mentioned, which they
much resemble, except that they have
narrower heads, and no horns on the head
or thorax.
The Aphodiida are also dung-beetles,
but are more brightly coloured, many
species being reddish or yellowish, or Geotmfes Stercorariu*.
black varied with these colours. They are Nat. Size.
more oval, and much smaller than the other
Lamellicornia^ few of the species measuring
as much as half an inch in length. The species
of Aphoditis are often seen flying about over
roads. ^3Lgialia Arenaria, which we have
figured, is a blackish insect with undeveloped
wings, which frequents sandy places, and is
often met with on sandhills near the sea.
The Cockchafer (MelolonthaVulgaris),\.^\-
cal of the family Melolonthida, is a large heavy-
looking reddish-brown insect, more or less (Mag.)
dusted with white ; the thorax is blackish, and the abdomen
is black, with stripes of white hairs on the under surface ; the
pointed tip of the abdomen projects beyond the elytra. The
beetle measures rather more than an inch in length. It is
one of our most destructive insects, for its white subterranean
larva (which is generally found doubled up) feeds on the
roots of grass, and the perfect insect feeds on the leaves of
trees.
Another smaller but almost equally destructive insect is the
Small Cockchafer (Phyllopertha Horticola), which belongs to the
family Rtttelida. It is bluish or greenish, with reddish-brown
elytra, and measures less than half an inch in length. The larva
feeds on the roots of plants, and the beetle feeds on flowers.
It is called the Buck- wheat Beetle in Germany, where it hangs
on the flowers of this plant almost in clusters.
The Cetoniida, of which we have only a few species in
D
50 THE YOUNG COLLECTOR'S
Britain, are also flower-loving beetles. The commonest species
is the Rose Chafer (Cetonia Aurata), a beautiful green beetle,
slightly marked with white on the elytra ; the under surface is a
deep golden bronze. The larva feeds on rotten wood, and the
beetle, which is very active in the sunshine, is found nestling
in or flying around roses and other flowers. This insect is
said to be used as a specific for hydrophobia in Russia ; and
the statement has been repeated so long and so frequently,
that it appears to deserve more serious attention than it has
yet received.
The Sternoxi are rather long and narrow beetles, with hard
elytra covering the whole abdomen, and with serrated or oc-
casionally pectinated antennae. The two principal families are
the Buprestidce and the Elateridce; in the latter the under surface
of the prosternum has a projection behind, which fits into a
hollow in the mesothorax.
The Biiprestida are distinguished by the hinder angles of the
thorax not being pointed, and by their not being able to leap.
This group includes the splendid green beetles so common in the
tropics, but is only represented by a few small green, blue,
bronzy, or black species in England, the largest of which scarcely
exceed a quarter of an inch in length. The larvae of all the
on wood.
The Elaferidcz, or Click Beetles, may readily
be known by the hinder angles of the
thorax being pointed, and by their power of
jumping up, with a slight clicking noise, when
laid on the back. Most of the species are
black, or bronzed, or partly black and partly
yellow ; Elater Sanguineus, which we have
figured, is a bright scarlet insect, with a black
c . , head and thorax. The beetles are commonly
(Ehtter Sangni- me ^ with on Bowers, etc., in the daytime ; and
). Nat. Size, their larvae are too well known everywhere, as
"wire-worms," being long and slender, with
a very tough skin, and feeding on the roots of plants.
The Fire Flies of South America are large species of Ela-
teridce, but I am not aware that any European species emits
light.
The Malacoderviata are not very unlike the Elaterida in shape,
but rather shorter. They have slender antennae (rarely pecti-
nated), and their elytra are generally very soft and flexible, and
quite unlike the hard horny elytra of most other beetles ; several
of the less typical families, however, have hard integuments.
HANDBOOK OF BEETLES. 51
The Tehphorida are the most typical representatives of this
group. The species of Telephorus are black,
brown, or yellowish beetles, about half an inch
long. They abound on the flowers of Umbellifene,
etc., and are very rapacious, feeding on other
insects. T. Fuscus is a common brown species, ^ ri
with the base and front of the head, the collar, and J
the edges of the abdomen reddish. *r
The Lampyridai are also carnivorous, but differ Telephones
from the Telephoridac^ in th females being apterous. Fuscus.
Lampyris Noctiluca (the Glow-worm) is common Nat ^ ize -
in many parts of England. The male is greyish-yellow, and
about half an inch long ; it flies by night, and is very slightly
luminous. The female is completely apterous, and may easily
oe detected among the grass by its light.
Drilus Flavescens is another insect which some authors class
D> ilus Flavescens. (Mag.) Drilus Flavescens. (Mag.)
(Male.) (Female.)
with the Lampyrida, while others regard it as belonging to a
separate family, Drilidto. Both sexes much resemble the cor-
.^sponding sexes of the Glow-worm in appearance, but are only
half the size, and are not luminous. The larva feeds on snails,
and forms its pupa in the shells.
Several of the smaller beetles with hard integuments which
are classed with the Malacodermata, feed chiefly on wood.
These belong to the genera Ptinus, Anobium, etc., and form the
family Plinida. Several species are found in houses, the best
known being Anobium Domesticum, a small brown beetle about
one-sixth of an inch in length, which is found in timber, furni-
ture, etc., and produces a slight noise as a call to its mate. Its
popular name is the "Death-Watch."
We have now to consider the Heteromera^ a group of beetles
52 TtiE YOVNG COLLECTORS
easily recognisable by two very obvious characters. The four
front tarsi are five-jointed as usual, but the hind tarsi are only
four-jointed. The antennae, too, consist of a series of nearly
round joints, thus resembling a string of beads.
The family Blaptida only includes three British species, which
are found in cellars, stables, etc. We have
figured Blaps Mortisaga, which is the rarest ;
but the other species, B. Mucronata and B.
Similis, very much resemble it. All three
are black, wingless insects, with the elytra
soldered together at the suture, and im-
movable. Other species of Heteromera are
found in houses, such as Tenebrio Mollitor
(the Meal Worm), which is a black beetle,
about half an inch long, but winged, and
rather long and narrow ; it belongs to the
family Tenebrionida ; its larva feeds on flour,
etc.
The PyrochroidcB are remarkable for their
bright reel or scarlet colour, although many
Qf ^ Haeromgra are very dingy in appear .
ance.
The Meloida, or Oil Beetles, are very strange-looking insects,
perfectly incapable of flight, having no wings, very short, soft
elytra, and very clumsy, bloated-looking bodies. They are
common in grassy places in spring, and their
larvas are parasitic in the nests of bees. They
are large, blue-black beetles.
The Blister Beetle (Cantharis Vesica-
toria), belonging to the family Cantharida,
is a most brilliant green beetle, rather more
than half an inch in length. It is not
common in England, though sometimes
met with on ash and other trees. The
beetles used in medicine are brought from
South Europe, where they are abundant ;
and I have not seen any beetle which pre-
Blister Beetle sents so brilliant an appearance as this,
antharis Vesica- when the sun is shining on a tree on which
tona). Nat. Size. several of them are feeding.
The next group of beetles is that of the Rkynckophora, or
Weevils. It is one of the most extensive, and its members may
be known immediately by the head being long and pointed in
front, forming a kind of beak, on each side of which the antennse
HANDBOOK OF BEETLES.
53
we placed, which are angulated in the middle, and clubbed at
the extremity. They have only four visible joints to all the
tarsi (which is likewise the case in the Longicornia and Eupodci),
and their integuments are much harder than those of most other
beetles.
The Bmchidce are injurious to peas and beans, and we have
figured the Pea Weevil as an illustration of the group. The
beetles are^ black, with white pubescence, and are about one-
sixth of an inch long. They appear in spring, and lay their eggs
when the pod is quite young ; and when the larva is hatched, it
devours the peas. The rostrum in the Bruchidce is very short,
and the antennae are not angulated ; we rarely find the characters
of a group exhibited in perfection by the first or last families
which are included in it. The peas and beans which are infested
by these insects are extremely injurious to the animals which
feed upon them.
Pea Weevil
(Brnchus Pist).
(Mag.)
7
Apion Flavipcs. (Mag. )
The Apionldce are an extensive family of small weevils, many
of which do not exceed one-tenth or one-twelfth of an inch in
length. They are black, blue, green, or red,
with broad elytra, but no wings, and a narrow
head and thorax, the former produced into a
long rostrum, and the antennae inserted about
the middle. They are found gregariously on
various plants on which the larvae feed. Apion
Flavipes, which we have figured, is black, with
reddish legs ; it is found on trefoil.
Rhynchites Bacchus, which belongs to the
family Rhinomaceridce, is a beautiful little
purple beetle, with a golden lustre ; it is about
one-sixth of an inch in length. It is met with
in spring on apples and sloes, devouring the
buds ; and later in the year it deposits an egg
Rhynchites
Bacchus.
(Mag.)
54
THE YOUNG COLLECTOR'S
in the young fruit. The larva eats its way out in three or four
weeks, and forms its pupa in the ground. It is, however, too
scarce an insect in England to be very destructive. There are
several other species of the genus, some of which injure fruit in
the same way, and others feed on the leaves of various trees,
sometimes rolling them together, and laying an egg in them, and
sometimes injuring a young shoot till it withers, and then laying
an egg in the pith.
'Balaninas Nucum (the Nut Weevil), belonging to the family
Erirhinidtorhynchus
.apathi.
(Mag.)
HANDBOOK OF BEETLES.
55
once from any other beetles with four-jointed tarsi, by their
usually large size and their very long antennae. Their larvae
are all wood-feeding insects, but are not generally sufficiently
numerous to cause much damage. The larger beetles may
sometimes be found resting on the trunks of trees by day ;
especially near the roots ; and some of
the smaller species are very active on
the wing.
One of the largest and commonest
of our British Longicornia, belonging
to the typical family CerambycidtZ) is
the Musk Beetle, Aromia Moschata,
which emits a strong but rather
agreeable odour. It is a long green
beetle, measuring an inch or more in
length, with curving antennae at least
as long as the body, and the sides
of the thorax with a sharp angular
projection. It is sometimes very
common in summer on the trunks
of willows, in which its larva feeds.
It is not very active, and may easily
be seized with the fingers, as it is
quite harmless.
We will now pass on to the large group of beetles called
Etipoda. The majority are vegetarians, and hence the group is
sometimes called Phytophaga, or Plant-feeders. They have
four joints to the tarsi, like the Rhynchophora and Longicornia^
and their antennae are generally short and slender j their bodies
are round or oval in shape.
The Donaciida have longer antennae, legs, and bodies than
most of the succeeding families, from which they likewise
differ in their semi-aquatic habits. The species measure about
one-third of an inch in length, and are generally bright green
or 'bronzed, though some are purplish, or even black. Their
larvce feed under water on the roots of water-plants, not being
very particular in their choice. The beetles are fond of basking
on water-plants ; the under surface of their bodies is clothed
with a white down, which enables them to carry a bubble of air
beneath the water when diving.
The Criocerida have oval elytra, shorter and broader than
in the Donaciida, and the antennae are rather short and
thick. Crioceris Asparagi, which measures nearly a quarter of
%n inch in length, is a common garden insect. It is of a bluish-
Musk Beetle (Aromia
Moschata). Nat. Size.
56 THE YOUNG COLLECTOR'S
green, with a red thorax, and red edges to the elytra ; each
elytron is also marked with three more or less confluent yellowish
spots or blotches.
The CryptocephalidcB and Chrysomelida include more rotund
beetles, with longer antennae than Crioceris. Many are of a
brilliant golden green, and are found gregariously resting on the
various plants on which they feed. Some species are blue or
blue-black, sometimes with a red border ; and others, again, are
black.
One of the most beautiful species is Chrysomela Cerealis,
which is of a brilliant golden green, with a purplish lustre, and
with three bands on the thorax and three on each elytra, besides
the suture, of a deep blue, bordered with green. It is about one-
third of an inch in length, and is found under stones in spring,
and later in the year on grass and various low plants, but is not
very common, though met with occasionally on the Welsh
mountains. C. Banksii, a rather larger insect, of a bronzy-
green colour, is very common among grass.
Although it is not our intention to include notices of foreign
insects in the present series of elementary handbooks, yet an
exception must be made in the case of Leptinotarsa Decemlineata,
the dreaded Colorado Potato Beetle, which belongs to the
Chrysomelidtz. It is about one-third of an inch in length, and
the elytra are marked with alternate stripes of black and dull
yellow j the thorax is also yellow, with a blackish V-shaped
mark in the centre, and several dark spots on each side. But a
very striking peculiarity which will at once identify the insect,
is its wings, which are not colourless, as in most other beetles,
but red. It has proved so destructive in North America that
its introduction into England is strictly forbidden, and a farmer
was lately fined five pounds for this offence.
The Halticida are a family of small beetles, which are too
well known to the farmer, as the notorious Turnip Fly is one of
their number. They are oval insects, often measuring less than
one-twelfth of an inch in length, and have thickened femora,
which enables them to leap almost like fleas. The species
of Phyllotreta are black, generally with a yellow stripe on each
elytron, and are all of similar habits, and about equally destructive
to turnips, etc.
The Cassidutei or Tortoise Beetles, are easily known by their
flattened appearance, the thorax being developed in such a
manner as to cover the head like a shield ; the legs and antennas
are rather short and thick, and the beetles are very sluggish.
They and their larvae feed on low plants, which they strip to
HANDBOOK OF BEETLES. 57
skeletons. The larvae have a curious fork-like projection behind,
which curves over their bodies. Upon this they pile their excre-
ments, by which they are thus always overshadowed. Most of
the species are green, but some are black ; and others are red,
Tortoise Beetle
(Cassida Oblonga).
(Mag.)
with black spots. C. Oblonga is green above, with a golden
band on each elytron ; the under surface is black. It is about
a quarter of an inch in length, and is not an uncommon
species.
The Trimera, which form the last group of beetles, may be
known by having only three visible joints to the tarsi. The
species inhabit fungi, ants' nests, etc. ; many feed on vegetable
refuse ; while others, again, are carnivorous. Most of the species
have clubbed antennae, and many authors include part, at least,
with the Clavicornia, in spite of the singular structure of their
tarsi.
The CoccinellidcZ) or Lady-birds, are small, smooth, round
beetles, with red or yellow elytra, spotted with black. The
commonest species is Coccinella Septempunctata, the Seven-spot
Lady-bird, which has a black head and thorax, with scattered
white marks, and red elytra, with three black spots on each, and
one near the base on the suture. These insects and their larvae
are very useful to agriculturists, as they destroy the Aphides,
otherwise known as Plant-lice, Smother-flies, or Blight, which
do so much mischief to our cultivated trees and plants. Lady-
birds are migratory when abundant, sometimes making a sudden
and unexpected appearance in some special locality in enormous
numbers.
The Pselaphida and Truhopterygida include the smallest
58 THE YOUNG COLLECTOR'S
known beetles, They have clubbed antennae, and the former
have short elytra. They are found among moss, grass, under
stones, in Bills' nests, etc., and are of almost microscopic
Bythintts Cttrtisli. (Mag.)
minuteness. The species figured (Bythinus Ctirtisii) is one of
the Pselaphida. It is a brown beetle, with reddish brown legs
and antennas, and is not uncommon.
It is impossible within the few pages to which we are restricted
to give more than a very brief outline of so extensive a group ol
insects as the British Beetles ; and those who wish to pursue the
subject further will find more comprehensive works on the same
subject by E. C. Rye and Herbert Cox. Calwer's "Kaferbuch,"
a German work, with coloured plates, will also be found very
useful for the figures, quite apart from the letterpress,
HANDBOOK OF BEETLES. 59
SKETCH OF THE PRINCIPAL GROUPS OF
BRITISH BEETLES.
GEODEPHAGA. Ground Beetles.
Carnivorous beetles, with five joints to the tarsi, and thread,
like antennae.
Cicmdelidte. Tiger Beetles.
Green or brown beetles, with white markings ; head and eyes
large ; legs long; very active by day ; frequenting sandy places.
CarabidcB. Ground Beetles proper.
Head and eyes smaller ; less active ; sometimes wingless ;
frequenting fields, marshes, etc.
HYDRADEPHAGA. Carnivorous Water Beetles.
DytisddcE. Water Beetles.
Antennae slender, much longer than the palpi ; hind legs formed
for swimming ; front legs short.
GyrinidcB. Whirligig Beetles.
Front legs long ; four hind legs short.
PALPICORNIA. Omnivorous Water Beetles.
Antennce short, clubbed ; palpi as long or longer than the
antennae.
BRACHELYTRA. Rove Beetles.
Abdomen long, elytra very short ; feed chiefly on decaying
vegetable or animal matter.
CLAVICORNIA.
Antennas clubbed ; palpi much shorter than in the Palpicomlq ;
feed on dung, carrion, etc.
60 THE YOUNG COLLECTORS
LAMELLICORNIA. Chafers.
Antennae short, terminating in a club formed of a number of
movable layers ; feed on plants or dung.
Lucanidce. Stag Beetles.
Mandibles of the male very large; larvae feed on wood; beetles
on sap.
Scarabaidce.
Head very wide and flattened, with a horn in the middle in
the male ; black ; feed on dung ; fly in the evening.
GeotrupidcB.
Head not of unusual size ; black ; feed on dung.
AphodiidcB,
Small oval dung-beetles, of various colours ; fly by day.
Melolonthida. Chafers.
Large beetles ; larvae feed on grass ; beetles on the leaves of
trees, round which they fly in the evening.
Cetoniidce. Rose- Chafers.
Brightly coloured or black beetles (sometimes downy) found
feeding on roses, thistles, etc., by day.
STERNOXI.
Long and narrow beetles, with serrated or pectinated antennae j
elytra hard ; feed on plants.
Buprestidce.
Hinder angles of the thorax not pointed.
Elateridcz. Click Beetles and Wire- Worms.
Hinder angles of the thorax pointed ; able to leap ; larvse
feed on roots of plants.
MALACODERMATA.
Long and narrow beetles, generally with slender antennse and
soft elytra ; frequent flowers, but attack other insects ; female
sometimes luminous and apterous (as in the glow-worm). (The
Ptinida, however, are small oval, wood-feeding beetles with hard
integuments.)
HANDBOOK Of BEETLES. 61
HETEROMERA.
Beetles with hard or soft elytra, sometimes wingless ; antennae
bead-like ; four front tarsi five-jointed ; hind tarsi four-jointed ;
feed on vegetable substances.
RHYNCHOPHORA. Weevils.
Snout very long, antennae placed on each side, and elbowed ;
integuments hard ; all the tarsi four- jointed ; plant-feeders.
LONGICORNIA. Long-horned Beetles.
Long and rather narrow beetles ; antennae very long ; tarsi
four-jointed ; feed on plants, their larvae often burrowing in the
wood of trees.
EUPODA.
Round or oval beetles ; antennas of moderate length ; tarsi
four-jointed ; feed on plants.
DonadidcE.
Semi-aquatic ; feed on water-plants.
Chrysomelidce.
Bright-coloured roundish beetles, found among grass, etc.
Halticida. Turnip Beetles.
Small beetles with thickened femora, which leap like fleas ;
very destructive to turnips, etc.
Cassididce. Tortoise Beetles.
Flattened beetles, with the thorax overlapping the head.
TRIMERA.
Small beetles, with only three visible joints to the tarsi.
Cdccinellida. Lady- Birds.
Small spotted beetles, which feed on plant-lice.
Trichopterygidtf.
The smallest known beetles ; antennae clubbed ; found among
vegetable refuse, in fungi, or in ants' nests*
62 THE YOUNG COLLECTOR'S
ON THE PART PLAYED BY BEETLES IN
THE ECONOMY OF NATURE.
A "Beetle" often conveys the idea of something peculiarly
repulsive ; but this perhaps arises chiefly from its improper
association with the "Cockroaches," or "Black Beetles," of
our kitchens, which, however, belong to the Order Orthoptera,
and are therefore, strictly speaking, not " Beetles " at all.
An enormous number of beetles are now known ; nearly
100,000 of all shapes, colours, and sizes, from a speck scarcely
visible to the naked eye, to about six inches in length ; and
although beetles are not the largest insects in expanse of wing,
some of them are perhaps the heaviest and bulkiest insects
known.
They share with other insects the offices both of general
scavengers and also of checks upon the too great luxuriance of
vegetation. Many beetles feed on carrion, and especially small
animals ; but the work of clearing away such substances is
chiefly accomplished by the larvae of various two-winged flies
(Diptcrd), Other beetles feed on dung, which they often attack
the very moment it is dropped ; and you cannot turn up a patch
of dried dung without finding it swarming with beetles. The
plant-feeding and wood-feeding beetles, according to their species,
attack almost every portion of every plant ; and any species
feeding on a cultivated plant is likely to produce great destruction,
if it becomes unusually abundant. Of the beetles which feed
on other insects, the most important are the Lady-Birds, or
Cocdnellida, which destroy the Aphides. We do not meet with
many parasitic insects among beetles, but the larvae of the Oil
Beetles, or Meloida, and those of the Stylopid are parasitic on
Hymenoptera. The Stylopida, which used to be placed in a
separate Order (Strepsiptera), are hardly likely to fall under the
notice of beginners. They are small black insects, with a single
pair of very large wings in the male ; and the larvae are parasitic
in the bodies of bees, which the apterous female never quits j
and which the male only leaves on emerging from the pupa.
Beetles have probably not been made of so much use to man
Galeruca Tanaceti.
Endomychus Coccineus.
\Face p. 62.
HANDBOOK OF BEETLES. 63
as they might. A few species are eaten in different parts of the
world. The Sacred Beetle is sometimes eaten by the Egyptians ;
and the larvae of various large wood-feeding beetles are con-
sidered a great delicacy in the West Indies and elsewhere. The
Blister Beetles and the Rose-Chafer are sometimes employed in
medicine. The splendid green Buprestida of the Tropics, and
their near allies, the Elalerida, or Fireflies, are sometimes used
as ornaments, for which purpose the former are frequently em-
ployed even in Europe. The Diamond Beetles, which are
large Curculionid(Z > or Weevils, form magnificent objects for the
microscope.
But much more might be done to make insects useful. The
Cockchafer, one of the most abundant and destructive of all our
British Beetles, might be made an insect of great commercial
value, as has been proved, though more in the way of experi-
ment than with any practical result ; for in this age of the world,
capitalists prefer to invest their money rather on products of
established value than in promoting new conquests from the
kingdom of nature. Cockchafers form a very fattening food for
fowls ; they will yield oil, which burns with a bright flame ;
grease can be obtained from them which is useful for greasing
carriage wheels ; and it is even said that a dye can be obtained
from them. There is no doubt that with a little patience and
experiment, beetles might be made very useful to man in a great
variety of ways in which we have at present no idea.
But we cannot turn insects to any practical value without
taking up the study of Entomology seriously, and not simply as
an amusement ; for many insects that look very much alike to
inexperienced eyes, are really verv different indeed.
We may find some Dlant in our helds or gardens suffering
severely from the attacks of insects, and swarming with some
species of insect which, so far from being the real depredator, is
busily engaged in diminishing its numbers. In such a case,
any one unacquainted with Entomology would probably devote
all his energies to destroying his benefactors, while the real
authors of the mischief might very possibly escape scot-free.
It is quite certain, too, that if any one wished to use an insect
for any special medical or commercial purpose, and had only
a general idea of what it was like, he would be almost certain
to pitch upon something else, which might happen to possess
very different properties indeed from the insect he was really
in quest of.
The usefulness of a knowledge of Entomology was ludicrously
illustrated by the Colorado Potato-Beetle panic some years
64 YOUNG COLLECTOR'S HANDBOOK OF BEETLES.
ago, when every one who found an insect among his potatoes at
once wrote to the local newspaper to announce the appearance
of the dreaded enemy. Some of these blunders were compara-
tively venial, as when the common Ladybirds (beetles somewhat
similar in general appearance) happened to do duty as Colorado
Potato-Beetles ; but others were monstrously wide of the mark,
as when the larva of the Death's Head Hawk-Moth (Acherontia
Atropos), a great yellow-striped caterpillar six inches long, was
the supposed beetle. An even more absurd case once fell under
my own notice. An Irishman went down on the quay, and
found a crustaceous animal, closely allied to the wood-lice, but
much larger, which is very common on the sea-shore, running
along a tow-rope. He at once seized it, exclaiming, " Here's
the Colorado Potato-Beetle just landing from America ! " and
took it home with him, when he immediately wrote to the
paper ; and there was quite a sensation in the town for a day or
two, until the mistake was discovered and exposed.
BRITISH BUTTERFLIES
AND MOTHS.
BRITISH BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS.
ESIRE to form
ra collection of
butterflies and
moths inspires al-
most every boy who
has ever lived in the
country. They are
beautiful insects, and
are easily to be
obtained and pre-
served ; but you
cannot do so success-
fully unless you know
how to set about it.
Firstly, then, never
touch your specimens
with your fingers,
without care ; for
the down on the
body and the scales
on the wings are
easily rubbed off,
and the specimens
are then spoiled ;
besides, the wings
themselves are very
fragile, and easily
broken.
Butterflies, and indeed all insects which are captured on the
67
63 THE YOUNG COLLECTOR'S
wing, are generally collected with the aid of a net. I myself
prefer a common ring-net, which is made of a
jointed iron ring which screws on to the end of
a walking-stick, and can be folded up and put
in the pocket when not in use. The ring is>
about 9 inches across, and to this is attached
a strip of stout green chintz, on which is sewn a
net of green gaiize, about 18 inches in length.
Such a net may be bought of any of the dealers
in objects of natural history for about ^s. 6d.
. The "umbrella-net "is formed of similar materials,
but is mounted on a whalebone ring instead of an
iron one, and slides up and down a stick, being
covered by a common umbrella case when not
in use. But this form of net is much more
costly than the other, and the stick is too short
for many purposes. It is, however, very easy to
manufacture a net for yourself out of a ring of
flexible twigs, a piece of green gauze, and a light
Y-shaped sapling, between the arms of which
the net is fixed. The net should always be
transpai - ent, and shHild contain no corners ;
green is the best colour, as it harmonizes with
the colour of grass and trees.
You will find butterflies and day-flying moths
in gardens, fields, .and woods ; and nocturnal
species may be found at rest on shady walls,
tree-trunks, or in outhouses, or may be dis-
turbed from their lurking places by beating a
hedge to windward. In the evening, many
moths may be captured flying over flowers, or
Ring-net. may be attracted into a room by a light placed at
an open window, while others maybe obtained by "sugaring,"
that is, painting the trunks of trees with a mixture of sugar
and beer, flavoured with a few drops of rum. The patches of
"sugar" must then be visited after dark with a lantern, when
moths will frequently be found regaling themselves upon the
sweet mixture.
Sluggish moths and small moths may generally be safely
carried home alive in pill-boxes, taking care not to mix full and
empty ones, and only to put one specimen in each box ; but
butterflies and active moths must be killed and pinned at onte.
Butterflies and small moths may be carefully nipped below the
wings, taking care not to damage them. Stout-bodied moths
HANDBOOK OF BUTTERFLIES.
69
cannot be thus killed without being completely spoiled ; for
killing insects in the field, a glass jar about the size of a jam
pot, and stopped with a bung, is usually employed, charged with
a strong poison, which may be purchased ready-made where
you buy your net. But a piece of blotting paper soaked
in benzole is used by some Coleopterists, and might answer
equally well for Lepidoptera ; besides, it would not injure their
colours, as some of the chemicals employed are liable to do. A
bell-glass or a deep glass jar will be found more convenient for
killing insects brought home alive ; and if a small hole be made
in the lid of the pill- boxes, they may be dropped into the killing
jar, without being opened till the enclosed moth is dead.
Setting-! card.
Common pins are too thick and, clumsy to be used for pinning
insects ; those used for insects are long and slender, and may be
bought of any dealer in objects of natural history. In order to
set insects, you require setting-boards, which are made of flat
pieces of deal, of any length you please, and from one to six
inches in width. There is a groove in the middle, of any
convenient depth, but it must be uniform in all your boards,
and should be deep enough to keep the insect well off the paper
70 THE YOUNG COLLECTOR'S
of the drawer, when set. The groove, as well as the sides of trn
board (which maybe either flat or bevelled off), must be covered
with cork. Pin your insect through the centre of the thorax,
stick it in the groove, and arrange the wings on each side of the
board in a natural position, and fix them down with strips of
card-board (as shown in our illustration), and leave them till stiff.
Then arrange them in a tight-fitting corked box, placing them
in rows, and as nearly in order as you can, putting the name of
the genus above and the name of the species below your series
of each species.
A cabinet being an expensive article, you had better keep
your collection in boxes at first. Tightly fitting boxes, like
backgammon boards, but rather deeper, and lined, with cork
top and bottom, are the best; and smaller boxes of a similar
kind are necessary, to carry about in the pocket. If you have a
turn for mechanics, you can perhaps amuse yourself by making
boxes for yourself, lining them with sliced bottle-corks, if you
have nothing else handy, and pasting clean white paper over the
corks to make the box look neater, and to show off the insects
better. It is a good plan to brush over the paper with a little
carbolic acid and water (just so weak as to leave no stain), and
then let it dry before using it. Insects must be kept in the
dark, for light bleaches them, and a little camphor must be kept
in the box, and replenished as often as necessary, or they will
soon be devoured by mites. The carbolic acid is an additional
safeguard.
In rearing caterpillars, avoid touching them with the fingers,
and keep them plentifully supplied with fresh food, which
should not be gathered when wet, and the old food should be
carefully removed. In collecting perfect insects, never catch
more specimens than you want for your own collection, or for
your friends ; and do not keep any damaged specimen, unless
it is a rarity which you are not likely to be able to replace. It
is true that most insects are generally abundant where they
occur ; but many are confined to certain localities, and it is a
pity to destroy them wantonly, especially when you perhaps run
the risk of materially reducing the numbers of a local species.
Although I cannot here attempt to give such a complete out-
line of British Lepidoptera as is included in my larger work
on European Butterflies and Moths, yet I will now attempt to
give a brief introductory sketch of the subject, which may be
useful to beginners.
Butterflies and Moths belong to the Order Lepidoptera or
Scale-winged Insects ; they pass through four well-marked
Melanargia Galathea.
Argynnis Paphia.
Polyommatus Corydon.
\_t'ace p. 70.
HANDBOOK OF BUTTERFLIES. 71
stages egg ; larva, or caterpillar ; pupa, or chrysalis ; and
imago, or perfect insect. These changes are called metamor-
phoses, or transformations ; and they are complete in Lepidop-
lera, which means that the four stages are all sharply separated
from each other. A caterpillar has six horny legs in the front
of its body, and from four to ten additional fleshy legs, called
prolegs, on the hinder segments of its body. The two last of
these are called claspers. A butterfly or moth has only six legs,
corresponding to the horny legs of the larva ; but occasionally
either the first or the last pair is aborted, especially in the males.
They have four wings, clothed with scales, and imbibe their food
through a proboscis, although caterpillars have mandibles, and
bite their food. The first five families of Lepidoptera are
called Rhopalocera (Knob-Horns), because their antennae, or
feelers, are more or less thickened into a knob at the tip.
The butterflies, of which we have sixty-five different kinds in
England, fall into this division. The moths are called Heterocera
(or Various-Horned), because their antennae are of various
shapes, sometimes tapering gradually to the tip, sometimes
of uniform thickness throughout, sometimes thickest in the
middle, and sometimes more or less comblike or feathery, when
they are said to be pectinated.
The five groups, or families, into which butterflies are divided,
are called ffymphaKda t Erycinidce, Lycanidce, Papilionida^ and
Hesperiida. The Nymphalidce have the forelegs rudimentary
in both sexes, and the pupa is suspended by the tail. It is
divided into two subfamilies, Satyrincz and Nymphalintz, The
Satyrince are brown butterflies, more or less marked with tawny,
and always with a round spot, either in a pale ring, or with a
white dot in the middle, at the tip of the fore wings, and often
others near the borders of the hind wings. They vary from an
inch and a half to two inches in expanse, and many are veiy com-
mon. The Meadow Brown (Epinephile Janira}, which is brown,
with a tawny patch on the fore wings of the female, abounds in
every field ; the Ringlet (E. Uyperanthus), which is blackish
brown, with a row of eyes on all the wings beneath, is common in
woods ; and the Grayling {Hipparchia Semele), which is brown,
with tawny markings, and two eyes on the fore wings, is common
in waste places. The Speckled Wood, or Wood Argus (Saty-
rus ALgeria), is brown, with yellowish-white spots towards the
margins, and is found in woods in spring ; while the Wall-
Brown (S. Megara) is a handsome brown and tawny butterfly,
common in lanes, etc., and fond of sunning itself on walls. The
Marbled White (Melanargia Calathea) is a conspicuous black
72 THE YOUNG COLLECTORS
and white butterfly, which is very local, though abundant where
it occurs; and the Small Heath Butterfly (Ccenonympha
Wall-Brown (Saiyrns Rlegara).
Pamphilus] is a sandy-coloured butterfly, smaller than any we
have mentioned, which is very common in open places.
To the Nymphalina belong many of our handsomest and most
conspicuous butterflies. The Fritillaries of the genus Argynnis
vary in expanse from one and a half to three inches. They are
of various shades of fulvous, with black spots or markings on the
upper surface, and the under side of the hind wings is always
spotted or streaked with silvery white. The two smallest species
(Argynnis Selene and Euphrosyne} are common in woods in
spring ; but the larger species appear in summer, when the Dark
Green Fritillary (Argynnis Aglaia] frequents heaths. It derives
Small Tortoiseshell ( Vanessa Urticce).
its name from the green colour of the under surface of the hind
wings, which are likewise marked with many silver spots ; but
HAKD&OOK Of BUTTERFLIES. 73
the most beautiful butterfly of this group is the Silver-washed
Fritillary (A. Paphia), which is streaked with silver on the under
surface of the hind wings, instead of being spotted. It is com-
mon in woods, but is not always easy to catch. The spiny cater-
pillars ot the species of Argynnis feed on violets. There is
another genus of Fritillaries (Melitaa) which includes three black
and tawny species, all very local. They are not spotted with
silver, and their lame feed on plantain.
There are three very common and beautiful butterflies the
larvoe of which feed on nettle. These are the Small Tortoiseshell
(Vanessa 7r/zV<), the Peacock (V. 70), and the Red Admiral
(Pyrameis Atalanta], In the two first each wing has a slight
projection, giving them an angular appearance ; but that on the
fore wings of the Red Admiral is less acute, and there is none
Peacock Butterfly ( Vanessa. Id).
on the hind wings. The Small Tortoiseshell is bright reddish,
with black spots on the fore wings, and the basal or inner half of
the hind wings black ; the borders of all the wings are dusky,
with a row ot" small blue spots. It expands two inches, or a
little over. The Peacock is of a dull red colour, with a large
black space on the hind wings, partly bordered with buff, and
filled up with blue markings ; the fore wings are spotted with
black and yellowish on the" costa, or front edge ; and there is a
roundish composite yellow, black, and blue spot towards the tip.
The Red Admiral is black, with a red band on the fore wings
and a red border on the hind wings, and some white spots
74 THE YOUNG COLLECTOR'S
towards the tip of the fore wings. Both these butterflies are
rather larger than the Tortoiseshell. The Painted Lady (Pyra-
meis Cardui) is of a pale salmon colour, with black markings,
and some white spots towards the tip of the fore wings. Its
wings are less angulated than even in the Red Admiral. Its
larva feeds on thistle, and the butterfly is much commoner in
some years than others. In some years it is extraordinarily
abundant, and migrates in vast swarms from one part of the
country to another. The Comma Butterfly ( Vanessa C. Albtitn)
is a local insect generally found flying along hedges. It is ful-
vous, with dark markings, and is about the size of the Small
Tortoiseshell, but may be recognised at once by its very jagged
wings. The White Admiral (Limenitis Sibylla) measures over
two inches across the wings, and is black, with a white band,
more perfect on the hind wings than on the fore wings. It is a
local insect, found in woods in the South of England ; and the
same may be said of the Purple Emperor (Apatura Iris), one of
the finest of our British Butterflies. It is brown, banded with
white, nearly as in L. Sibylla, but the male is suffused with the
richest purple, and soars over the tops of the trees, whereas the
White Admiral has a lower and more sailing flight. The Purple
Emperor measures about three inches across the wings.
The family Erycinidce only includes one European species,
called the Duke of Burgundy Fritillary (Nemeobins Liicina). It
measures a little more than an inch across the wings, which are
Duke of Burgundy Fritillary (Neineobius
black, with rows of yellowish spots. It is found in woods in
May and June, but is not generally common. The female has
six perfect legs, but the first pair are imperfectly developed in
the male. In the three following families both sexes have six
legs.
The Lyc includes the most typical moths of the
85 THE YOUNG COLLECTOR'S
NoctucB ; their caterpillars feed on the roots of plants, and are
often very destructive. Most of the species of Agrotis have
brown fore wings, and brown or white hind wings ; but the
genus Triphcena, including the Yellow Undervvings, has brown
Yellow Underwing (Trij>hana Orlona).
fore wings, and yellow hind wings, with a black border. These
moths may often be met with by day in dark corners, among
long grass, or strawberry beds, etc.
The species of Cticullia, belonging to the family Xylinidce,
are brown or grey moths, called " Sharks " by collectors.
They have rather long, narrow, and often pointed wings, and
long bodies. They expand nearly two inches, and fly over
flowers in the evening ; but their long, simple antennae, which are
not thickened in the middle, will at once prevent any danger
of their being mistaken for small Sphingida, to which they have
some outward resemblance.
The Gamma Moth (Phtsia Gamma) > belonging to the family
Gamma Moth (Plusia Gamma).
Plusida, is one of our commonest Noctua, and is, perhaps, the
most frequently observed of any, as it flies over flowers by day
as well as at dusk. It has violet-grey fore wings, in the middle
HANDBOOK OF BUTTERFLIES. 8;
of which is a white mark shaped like a Y or the Greek letter
Gamma.
Plusia Chrysitis (the Burnished Brass Moth) flies in the
evening. It is about the same size as the Gamma Moth, but the
fore wings are nearly covered by two large brassy-green blotches,
which are generally connected.
Monno Maura (the Old Lady), belonging to the family
Old Lady (Monuo Maura).
Toxocampid(Z> is a large dark-brown moth, which is common in
gardens in the evening, and often flies into houses when the
windows are open.
The Red Underwing (Catocala Nupta), belonging to the
family Catocalidce, measures about three inches across the fore
wings, which are varied with grey. The hind wings are red,
with a black border and a black band across the middle. It
may often be found sitting on the trunks of trees in the daytime,
to which the colour of its fore wings assimilates it, its red hind
wings being covered over, and invisible. It has then a triangular
form, which is still more noticeable in the Deltoida, which differ
from the other Noctua by their slender bodies, and by the palpi
(two organs projecting from the head between the antennae)
being so much developed as to resemble a kind of beak. The
commonest species is the Snout (Hypzna Proboscidalis], which
is found among nettles ; it measures an inch and a half across
the fore wings, which are brown, with two darker stripes. In
THE YOUNG COLLECTOR'S
the genus Herminia the males are provided with a curious tuft
of hair on the front legs.
ffet'tninia Tarsipennalis.
The Geometrida are a large group of broad- winged, slender-
bodied moths, generally of gay colours, and with the markings
of the hind wings more or less similar to those on the fore wings.
Their caterpillars have only ten legs six in front, and four
behind and are therefore obliged to walk in a very peculiar
fashion, arching their backs at every movement. These moths
are readily disturbed from their hiding-places during the day,
and are not very strong on the wing ; some few fly naturally
by day, but the greater number fly at dusk.
Several species are green, with whitish lines across the wings.
The commonest is Hemithea Thymiaria, which expands rather
more than an inch, and may be beaten out of hedges in summer ;
it differs from most of the allied species by the hind wings being
angulated. The genus Acidalia includes a great number of
small white moths, with dark lines on the wings. They seldom
expand much more than an inch, and many are smaller ; they
Brimstone Moth (Ritmia Crateegata),
are generally called "Waves" by collectors. The Magpie
M.o\h (Abraxas Grossulariata) is common everywhere in gardens,
where its caterpillar feeds on gooseberry and cm-rant bushes. It
is white, with rows of black spots on the wings, and orange
bands at the base and in the middle of the fore wings. The
HANDBOOK OF BUTTERFLIES. 9
Swallow-tail Moth ( Urapterya Sambucaria} expands nearly two
inches. It is pale yellow, with two dark lines on the fore wings
and one on the hind wings ; the hind wings project into a short
angular tail. The Brimstone Moth (Rumia Cratczgata) is a
smaller insect, very common about hedges, for its larva feeds on
hawthorn. It measures about an inch and a half across the
wings, which are sulphur yellow, with some rust-coloured spots
towards the costa. Some of the Geometridce belonging to the
Autumn Moth (Male.) Autumn Moth (Female.)
(Hybernia Defoliaria.) {Hybernia, Defoliaria).
genera Hybernia and Cheimatobia appear only in winter ; and
these have all apterous females. The fore wings of the males
are yellowish or brown, with darker markings, and the hind
wings are paler. There is another section which differs from
the other Geometrida in having very stout bodies. Most of
these appear in early spring, and many of them have also
apterous females; but the Pepper-and-Salt Moth (Amphidasis
Betularia] is an exception. It is white, speckled with black,
and expands nearly two inches ; it appears in May. Odezia
Atrata (the Chimney Sweep) is a smoky black moth, with white
tips to the fore wings, and expanding about an inch ; the body
is slender. The Carpets, which belong to the genera Coremia,
Larentia, etc., have whitish, grey, or brown fore wings, with
darker zigzag patterns, the centre of the fore wings being often
banded with brown, reddish, or green ; they generally expand
at least an inch. The moths of the genus Eupithecia (called
popularly "Pugs") are usually of very dull colours, and of
small size, only the largest species attaining the expanse of an
inch.
The typical Pyralidee are small moths, with broad rounded
wings, slender bodies, and long slender legs. Some are found
in houses, like the Tabby Moth (Aglossa Pinguinalis), which is
90 THE YOUNG COLLECTORS
brown, and expands about an inch and a half ; others are found
in woods, like the black, white-spotted Ennychia Octomaculata,
or frequent dry places, like the red, yellow-spotted Pyrausta Pur-
puralis ; others, like the China Marks belonging to the genera
Cataclysta and Hydrocampa^ are found among reeds ; these latter
Ennychia Octomcciilata.
are white, with black and sometimes with yellowish lines on the
wings. The Botyda are rather larger and longer-winged insects
than the true Pyralidce, and are generally of a yellowish colour ;
one species, however (the Small Magpie, Botys Urticata), which
is common among nettles, is black and white.
The Crambida are small moths, with slender bodies, and long
palpi. The fore wings are narrow, and the hind wings ample,
but fold into a very small compass when at rest. Many
species of Crambus, with pearly white, yellowish, or brown fore
wings streaked with white, and brown or whitish hind wings,
are common in meadows.
The Tortricida, or Bell Moths, have broad ample wings, and
broad, rather short, truncated fore wings, so that they somewhat
resemble a bell in shape when at rest. They are all small moths,
rarely expanding more than three-quarters of an inch. Many of
their larvae live in rolled-up leaves ; others live in the heads of
composite flowers, or in the interior of fruits. The Green Oak
Moth (Tortrix Viridana), with green fore wings and brown
hind wings, may be beaten in abundance from any oak tree in
summer. The larva of Penthina Pruniana, the brown moth
Penthina Pruniana.
with paler markings which we have figured, feeds on sloe ; but
the larvae of two other species of this group (Carpocapsa
Pomonella and Funebrana) live in the interior of apples and
plums. Two species of Xanthosetia^ with rather narrower
HANDBOOK OF BUTTERFLIES. 91
wings than the majority of the Tortricida (X. Hamana and
Zcegana}, are common on the heads of thistles and other com-
posite flowers ; the fore wings are yellow, with rust-coloured
markings, and the hind wings are light brown.
Xanthosetia Hamana.
The Tinea are a very large group of small moths, including
nearly a third of the British Lepidoptera. They may generally
be known by their rather long and narrow wings, with very long
fringes. They are divided into many families, of which we can
only mention a few. The Tineida include the bulk of the Clothes-
Moths, which give so much trouble to our housekeepers, and the
Adelidtz may be known by their green or brown wings, and their
Nemophora Swammerdametta.
very long antennae. The Hyponomeiitidce include the Small
Ermine Moths, which have white or grey fore wings, with several
rows of black dots. Their larvse are gregarious, spinning a com-
mon web, and frequently stripping our hedges and apple-trees of
Phibalocera Quercana.
their leaves. Phibalocera Quercana is a very pretty species
belonging to the great family Gelechiifa. Th? ^>re wings are
92 THE YOUNG COLLECTOR'S
reddish grey, with yellow spots, and the hind wings are whitish ;
the larva feeds on oak, beech, etc., in a web on the under surface
of the leaves. The Coleophoridce include a number of small, long-
winged species, many of the larvae of which live in cases, some-
thing like those formed by the larvce of Psychidce. C. Vibicella^
Coleoghora VibiceUa..
which we have figured, is not a very common species ; it is
bright ochre-yellow, with silvery- white streaks on the fore wings.
The larvae of the Tinea are very various in their habits, some
feeding between united leaves, others forming galls, and a great
number feeding in the substance of the leaves, and forming
blotches or galleries by which their presence can be easily de-
tected. The smallest species belong to the family Nepticulida,
the smallest of all being Nepticula Microtheriella, the larva of
which feeds in nut-leaves. Many of these very small species are
very beautiful, being of rich dark colours, relieved by metallic
spots.
The Plume Moths, of the family Pterophoridce, are delicately
Plume Moth (Pteropliorus Lithodactyhis).
formed moths, with long bodies, long slender legs, and rather
narrow wings, the fore wings being split up (except in Agdistis
Bennettii] into two feathers, and the hind wings into three. They
are all of dull colours, brown, grey, or white. The commonest
species is the White Plume Moth (Pterophorus Pentadactylns\
which is often to be seen in gardens, or in weedy places. It
expands rather more than an inch. Finally, the little brownish
tf AND BOOK OF BUTTERFLIES. 93
Twenty-Plume Moth (Alucita Hexadactyla), our only represen-
tative of the family Alucitidce, has each wing split up into six
Twenty-Plume Moth (A India Hexadactyld).
feathers. It is also a common garden insect, and may often be
seen resting with its wings expanded. It expands rather more
than three-quarters of an inch.
FLOWERS AND INSECTS.
A great many flowers are very attractive to butterflies in the
daytime, and to moths in the evening. Among those which
deserve special notice are sallow in spring, ivy in autumn,
catch-fly and viper's bugloss on the sea-coast, thistles and rag-
weed in waste places, honeysuckle in hedges, and valerian,
petunia, etc., in gardens.
BOOKS LIKELY TO BE USEFUL TO
BEGINNERS.
Kirby's European Butterflies and Moths. Coloured
Plates.
Stainton's Manual of British Butterflies and Moths,
2 vols. Woodcuts.
Newman's British Butterflies and Moths. 2 vols.
Woodcuts.
Coleman's British Butterflies. Plates.
Wood's Common Objects of the Country. Plates.
Wood's Common British Moths. Plates.
Greene's Insect Hunter's Companion, is.
Knaggs' Lepidopterist's Guide.
TABLE OF THE PRINCIPAL GROUPS
OF
BRITISH BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS.
Rhopalocera. Butterflies.
NYMPH ALID^E,
Satyrince .... Brown Butterflies.
Nymphalince. . . . Fritillaries, Tortoiseshells, etc.
Duke of Burgundy Fritillary.
... Hair-Streaks, Blues, and Coppers.
PAPILIONIDyE,
PierincB . . . White and Yellow Butterflies.
Papilionincs .... Swallow-Tail
HESPERIID^E . . Skippers.
Heterocera. Moths.
SPHINGES,
Sphingtda .... Hawk Moths.
s^Egeriidfe . . . . Clear- Wings.
Zyg&nidcB .... Burnets and Foresters.
BOMBYCES,
Arctiidas .... Tiger Moths.
Lithosiidce .... Footmen.
Liparidce .... Satin Moths.
Psychidce .... Case-bearing Moths.
Notodontidce .... Puss Moths and Prominents.
LimacodidcE . . . . -
Drepanulida
Saturniidce .... Emperor Moth.
Endromidce . . . . Kentish Glory.
Las iocamp idee . . . Eggars.
ZeuzeridcB .... Goat Moth, etc.
Hepialidce ..... Swifts,
NOCTU-iE,
Cymatophorides . . . Peach Blossom Moth, etc.
Bryophilida ....
Acronyctidce .... Dagger Moths, etc.
Leucanidce .... Wainscots.
MamestridcB .... Cabbage Moth, etc.
Caradrinidce ...
AgrotidcB .... Yellow Underwings, etc.
T