File:Insects abroad - being a popular account of foreign insects, their structure, habits, and transformations (1883) (14596417150).jpg

Identifier: insectsabroadbei00wooduoft (find matches)
Title: Insects abroad : being a popular account of foreign insects, their structure, habits, and transformations
Year: 1883 (1880s)
Authors: Wood, J. G. (John George), 1827-1889
Subjects: Insects
Publisher: London : Longmans, Green
Contributing Library: Gerstein - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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in constant requisition—and the greatnerve-centres which supply all the body with sensation andmotive power. No one who has not been in the habit of dis-secting insects can appreciate even the mechanical difficulties INSECT MECHANICS. 363 which are here overcome; and the best mechanician that theworld has known must stand humbly amazed before such anastonishing application of mechanics to a mere insect. The wings are translucent, with the exception of a broadwaving band of dark brown near the tip. Perhaps the readermay have noticed, and if he be an entomologist he must know,that Dragon Mies have upon the outer edge of the upper wingsan oblong black spot. This spot is technically called the stigma, and by its shape and position is extremely useful indistinguishing one species from another. In the present insectthe stigma is situated almost at the tip of the wing, and is veryshort, thus gaining for the species the name of brevistigma, or short stigma. The insect is a native of Bogota.
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Fig. 17S.—Mecistogaster ornatus.(Wings tinged with yellow at tips.) The insect whose portrait is here given was brought by Mr.Bates from Para, on the Amazon River. 3f>4 INSECTS ABROAD. During life the general hue is yellow, and even after death theyellow stripes upon the thorax are plainly visible. The wingsare coloured after a rather curious fashion. They are translucentfor nearly two-thirds of their length, and then become graduallytinged with yellow. Across the tips runs a bold dark line, andthe extreme tip of the wing beyond this dark line is opaquechrome yellow. The speciiic name ornatus, or ornamented, refers to thecoloured wings, while the generic name Mecistogastcr signifies avery long abdomen, and is given to the insect in allusion to thestructure of that part of the body. CHAPTEE II. MYRMELEONIDM, SIJLID&, MANTISIDjE, AND TERMITIDjE. We now come to a family of insects which has many pointsof resemblance to the Dragon Flies, though those resemblancesare rather appare

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