great chain of creation. It lays open before us another world, of
which we have been hitherto unconscious, and shows us that the
tiniest insect, so small perhaps that the unaided eye can scarcely
see it, has its work to do in the world, and does it._"

--REV. J. G. WOOD.

CHAPTER I

INSECTS

"_There is a difference between a grub and a butterfly; yet your
butterfly was a grub._"

--SHAKESPEARE.

In undertaking a study of insects it is well first of all to know
something about what they are, their general nature, appearance, habits
and development. The insects comprise the largest group of animals on
the globe. There are about four times as many different kinds of insects
as all other kinds of animals combined. Insects vary greatly in size.
Some are as large as small birds, while others are so small that a
thousand placed in one pile would not equal the size of a pea.

Insects are commonly spoken of as "bugs." This term, however, is
properly used only when referring to the one order of insects which
includes the sap and blood-sucking insects such as the chinch bug,
bed-bug, squash bug, and the like. Then too, there are many so-called
"bugs" which are not insects at all. Spiders, thousand-legs, crawfishes
and even earth-worms are often spoken of as bugs.

_What They Are_

[Illustration: Side view of grasshopper with wings and legs partly
removed. Note the division of the body into head, thorax, composed of
prothorax, mesothorax and metathorax, and abdomen consisting of
ring-like segments.]

Insects are variously formed, but as a rule the mature ones have three
and only three pairs of legs, one pair of feelers, one pair of large
eyes, and one or two pairs of wings. The body is divided into a head,
thorax and abdomen. The head bears the eyes, feelers and mouth, the
thorax bears the legs and wings, and the abdomen is made up of a number
of segments. The presence of wings at once decides whether or not it is
an insect, for, aside from bats and birds, insects alone have true
wings. These are the distinguishing characters of the full grown insect,
but, like birds, they hatch from eggs and while young do not always look
like their parents. When young they may take on various shapes as
caterpillars, borers, maggots, grubs, hoppers, and the like. Young
insects are often difficult to distinguish from true