In England the Scale Insects are an unmitigated nuisance, especially in greenhouses and hothouses, where they flourish in great abundance, sticking upon the leaves of various plants and sadly vexing the heart of the gardener. Yet some of the Cocci are directly beneficial to man, though those species which reside in our country have never yet been put to any use. It is to an Asiatic species of Coccus {Coccus lacca, or Lac Insect) that we are indebted for our sealingwax and the basis of many varnishes. The female insect produces the well-known material called ‘ lac, and without her aid we should be deprived of a most useful as well as ornamental substance.

Another of these insects. Coccus ceriferus, produces in abundance a kind of wax, in which the body of the female is

entirely enveloped. But the most valuable of these creatures is perhaps the Cochineal Insect {Coccus cacti) of South America, from which is obtained the most brilliant of crimson dyes. Other species of Coccus produce a fine scarlet colour, but none of them can be compared with the Mexican insect for the wonderful abundance and rich colour of the dye. Tlie valuable colour called carmine is made from the Cochineal insect.

Heteroptera.

Hetejroptbea.

CHAPTER I.

Auiiocorisa, Or Air-Bugs.

The reader may remember that the insects of the last order are called Homoptera because their wings are of similar character. In the new order which now comes Ttefore us, the wings are formed after a manner which has earned for them the name of Heteroptera, or Different-wings. They include a large number of familiar insects, many of them aquatic, among which may be mentioned the Water-fleas, the Water-scorpions, the Waterboatmen, and the too familiar Bed-bug.

In some of these insects the wings are not developed, but in those that are furnished with wings the upper pairs are large]' than the lower, and lap over them when the insect is at rest, and the basal part of them is hard and leathery, while the remainder is membranous and translucent. The body is always flattened, and the mouth furnished with a beak, or proboscis, which starts from the under sui'face of the head, but from the front and not the back. The pupa is active, and resembles the perfect insect in appearance, save that it does not possess wings.

These insects are broadly divided into two great sections, the one called Hydrocorisa, or Water-bugs, and the other, Geocorisa, or Land-bugs.

We will begin with the latter of these two sections. Mr. Westwood prefers to give to the insects the name of Aurocorisa, i or Air-bugs, because many of the species do not affect the land, hut pass the greater part of their time on the water, thougli they do not dive beneath its surface. j The first of these insects is the rather rare one which is p represented in the accompanying illustration. Having already

been practised in the anatomy of other orders, the reader will not find much difficulty in mastering the details of a Heteropterous insect. The chief point lies in the beak, proboscis, or promuscis, as it is called by some writers. This instrument is either three or four-jointed, the latter being the case with the insect which is drawn in the illustration. This

Seliirus dubius. 2. Head, front view ; a, Central lobe of face ; 6, Crown. 3. He.^, under side ; a, Rostral channel, with the rostrum or beak in position. e Head, upper , a. Ocellus. 6. Head, profile ; a. Rostrum. 6. Rostrum. ,. Antenna. S. , a. Fulcrum ; b. Femur or thigh; c, Tibia ; d, Tarsus. 9. Eljtra and wmg; a, Clauu. b, Corium ; c, Elytron ; d, Membrane ; e. Wing.

constitute the whole of the apparatus, as it does not, however, piercing instrument, and is, like is only a sheath for the real larva, a development of the bibium. the mask of the dragon-fly under a microscope it will be found o If this sheath be opened biistles, vhich, ■vs ie^ contain four delicate sharply-pointed are seen to be the jaw.'

examined by the aid of the microscope, this singulai foim. and maxillaj of the insect modified into

some of the predaceous species the end of the mandible is spear-shaped, and the outer side of each spear-head is armed with a row of extremely sharp teeth, not at all unlike those of a shark. Indeed, I have in my ethnological collection a Kingsmill Island spear, which is armed along the side with shark’s teetli, and hears a singular resemblance to the mandible of a Water-boatman, an insect which will be presently described.

Unfortunately, very few of the Heteroptera possess popular names, so that I am compelled to use the scientific titles. The name of the insect which is shown on Woodcut LXIII. is Sehirus, or Cydnus dubius, and it belongs to the family Cydnidae. It is a rather small, but decidedly handsome insect. The general hue is dee23 violet-blue, so deep that it seems black in a faint light, and the surface is finely punctured and shining. The edges of the thorax and the elytra are marked with a narrow line of yellow, from which circumstance it has been named albo-marginatus, or white-edged, by some entomologists. If the insect be turned up, the under side of the abdomen will be seen to be extremely convex.

It is not a common insect, and seems to be local. It has been taken at Portland and Pangboume.

Next comes the insect which is represented on Woodcut LXIV. Fig. 1, an example of another family, the Asopidae. Its name is Asopus luridus.

Although not so brilliant as the insect which has just been described, it is a pretty creature. Its colour is yellowish, thickly punctured with black and rather shining. On the head and sides of the tliorax there is a deep blue gloss, which occasionally changes to bronze. Below, it is yellowish, with two distinct longitudinal rows of black spots. The female has also a large black spot on the sixth segment of the abdomen.

This species is not very common, but is wider spread than the preceding insect, and may be found on trees. I The whole group of insects to which this species belongs is I popularly known under the name of Bishops, or sometimes W Bishop’s Mitres, on account of their form. They are much Cti and justly dreaded by fruit-growers, and this for two reasons. In the first place, they greatly damage the fruit as soon as it [i ripens, by sucking the juice ; and in the second place, many of

them possess a most abominable odour, which communicates itself to any fruit over which a Mitre insect has walked. The cherry orchards are sadly infested Vjy these insects, but no Avay of destroying or even checking them has yet been found.

This odour is due to a fluid which passes out of two little pores between the hind feet, and the insect is able to eject or retain it at will. It has been observed that if a Mitre insect

LXiy

Asopns luvidns. 2. Verlnsia vhombea. 3. Comis hirticornis. i. ryrrhororfe

' apterus. a. Do., fore-leg. b. Do., side view of bead, showing antenna and tongue. seized, plunged into water, and held there, the two be suddenly pores give out a number of tiny bubbles, which rise rapidly to the surface, burst, and then give out the disagreeable odour.

Fruit is often rendered quite uneatable by being tainted with substance. I believe that the insect uses

this evil-smelling

fluid as a means of defence, as is the case with many other

the animals, and that it does not eject any of it upon a

insects and alarmed. There are some few of these

fruit except when

insects in which the scent is rather agreeable than otherwise, but as a general rule the odour is simply disgusting, as anyone knows who has captured and set many specimens.

On Woodcut LXIV. are seen two examples of the family Coreidaj. This is a large family, and contains within it many of the largest and most conspicuous members of the Heteroptera. They are known by the form of the antennae, which consist of four joints, and have the last joint either thickened or elongated. The beak is usually long. Fig. 2 represents the insect called Verlusia rhombea.

This species is not brilliantly coloured, the general hue being a dull yellowish-brown. The upper surface is covered with exceedingly minute punctures. The head is darker than the rest of the body, and the sides of the thorax are ochreousyellow. It is much paler below than above, and the legs are yellow. It is common on the leaves of trees in the autumn. The specific name of Rhombea is given to this insect in consequence of the singular shape of the abdomen, which is flattened and widened into a rhomb-like shape, as seen in the illustration.

In common with the rest of its family, the species can both run and fly well, choosing the hottest part of the day for their flight. As is the case with the Water-boatmen, they make a loud humming sound with their wings, sometimes as loud and deep as that of the humble-bee.

At Fig. 3 on the same Woodcut is shown an insect belonging to the typical genus called Goreus hirticornis.

The colour of this insect is dull chocolate-brown above, and the upper surface is thickly covered with minute wrinkles, which even extend over the legs and thighs. Beneath, it is ochreous-yellow, mottled with a rather darker hue. The sides of the thorax have a narrow edge of white. The antenno3 are remarkable for their hairy covering, which extends throughout their whole length, and has gained for the insect the specific name of hirticornis, or hairy-horn. The insect is common on thistles.

The larvae and pupae of insects belonging to this family are like the perfect insect in general form. The larvae, how-

ever, possess no wings, and the pupae only have them in an undeveloped state. Mr. Westwood mentions that he possesses some larvae and pupae, which also differ from the perfect insect in being without ocelli, and having only two joints in the tarsus.

On Plate XVIII. Phg. 5, is shown another example of this family. This insect is called Stenocephalus agilis.

The colour of the insect is pale brown, with a tiny red spot on each shoulder. The legs and antennae are yellow, except that each joint has a black tip. The generic name is formed from two G-reek words, signifying ‘short-headed,’ and its specific name of agilis is given to it because it is remarkably active, both on foot and on the wing, and is fond of running about in the hottest sunshine.

The curious insect which is represented on Woodcut LXIV. Pfig. 4, is one of a group which contains many brilliantlycoloured insects.

The present species is called Pyrrhocoris apterus, and its colours are black and scarlet. The ground colour of the insect is scarlet and shining. On the top of the convex thorax is a broad black spot, square, with slightly rounded angles, and the abdomen is black also. On account of the preponderance of scarlet, the generic name of Pyrrhocoris, or Scarlet Bug, has been given to it.

The life history of this insect is a remarkable one. Sometimes, as in the illustration, it has fully-developed wing-covers, but generally the elytra are small and undeveloped, without the usual membranous poition at the tip, wlience possessing the name of apterus, or wingless. Such creatures as these perfect insects.’ They were at one time are termed ‘ imperfect to be pupa?, but it is now ascertained that they are thought with the exception of the full development of really perfect In some of the Heteroptera, such as the the flying apparatus. Water Gnats, the imperfect perfect insects^ are as well-known of wings as they were when in the larval condition. destitute species, though it has appeared in ^ast

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