Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-06-25

ABOUT NONIOuS INSECTS.

We were speaking of the three periods
in the life of IN insect, and mentioned the
first as the larrp state During the second
period the insect undcrgoc3 partial
transformation, retains its activity and ap.
petite for food and cOntiouea to grow. The
rudiments of wings now appear Some,
however, at this age, entirely lose their
form, take no food and pass into deep
sleep. This is called the pNpa state. At
the end of the second period, insects again
shed their skins and come forth full grown
and generally provided with wings. Now
comes the third or adult state, in which
they no longer grow, and during which
they produce their eggs. With most in
sects, this period is short and they die
soon after they lay their eggs. Bees,
wasps and ants, however, live much
longer in the adult state.
The eyes of adult insects are compound,
consisting of great number of single
eyes united into one, and this fixed in its
socket. Near the eyes arc the d1ttcnna,
which are the organs of sensation The
mouth Of insects is constructed according
to the plan in view. Some are fitted for
biting and chewing; others are for the
suction of liquids, and each was evidently
made to act the part he docs in his depre-
datons upon the farmers crops and trees
The question of right will have to 90 to
the courts before it can be settled. A
right to living guaranteed by the Creator
who made the animal and his food and
adapted the one to the other, would seem
to be paramount to a mere right of pos
session.
Still, the farmer has waged an eternal
war upon the destructive insect world, and
claims, at least the right (of might to an
| initiate these, his natural enemies. The
insects seem to have some advantage as
to numbers. 1t is claimed that there are,
at least, even in New England, four dis.
tinct insects to every plant, or more than
four thousand eight hundred species. In
countries where the forests have been more
extensively cleared away, each plant has
six distinct insects. We cannot hone ia
even alude to all these classes, much less
TO describe them. The basis of classified.
ton is the structure of the mouth. the
number and nature of the wings and the
transformations.
First, there are seven orders. The first
division is called in plain Englsh-6cttlcs.
These are provided with jaws, two thick
wing covers and two filmy wings folded
transversely. Many of the beetles, es.
pecially in the Larvae state, are very de.
structive TO vegetation.
We will mention few of the beetles
that are Of service to the farmer by
destroying the caterpillar, plant-louse ant
other noXious or destructive insects
These are the tiger-beetl the ground
beetle, the driving beetle and the lady-bird
Another class should be honored il
poetry and song for the service they do a.
scavengers by removing carrion and Other
filth upon which alone they and thei
larvH subsist. Among these are the wa
ter-lover, the rove-beetle, the carrion-be
tie, the skn-beetle and the bone beetle
Quite large class live on mushrooms
toad stools and other plants that ar,
either useless or poisonous to man. lie
them live. Such as the stag beetle
darkling-beetle and bark beetle live undei
the bark and in the trunks and roots o
old trees, and are more servcable than in
furious, on the whole. We will not maxi
war upon them. The blistering- beetle il