Page:Dick Sands the Boy Captain.djvu/23

 THE " PILGRIM." observer and coUector of insects, meaning by ' ** insects " those articulata which hâve bodies consisting of a number of concentric movable rings, formîng three distinct segments, each wîth a pair of legs, and which are scientifically desig- nated as hexapods. To this extent was Cousin Benedict an entomologist ; and when it is remembered that the class of insecta of which he had grown up to be the enthusiastic student comprises no less than ten * orders, and that of thèse ten the coleoptera and diptera alone include 30,000 and 60,000 species re- spectively, it must be confessed that he had an ample field for his most persevering exertions. Every available hour did he spend in the pursuît of his favourite science : hexapods ruled his thoughts by day and his dreams by night The number of pins that he carried thick on the collar and sleeves of his coat, down the front of his waistcoat, and on the crown of his hat, defied com- putation ; they were kept in readiness for the capture of spécimens that might come in his way, and on his return from a ramble in the country he might be seen literally encased with a covering of insects, transfixed adroitly by scientific rule. This ruling passion of his had been the înducement that had urged him to accompany Mr. and Mrs. Weldon to New Zealand. It had appeared to him that it was likely to be a promising district, and now having been successful in adding some rare spécimens to his collection, he was anxious to get back again to San Francisco, and to assign them their proper places in his extensive cabinet. Besides, it never occurred to Mrs. Weldon to start without him. To leave him to shift for himself would be sheer cruelty. As a matter of course whenever Mrs. Weldon went on board the " Pilgrim,'* Cousin Benedict would go too. (2) the neuroptera, e. g. dragon-flies ; (3) the hymenoptera, e. ç, becs, wasps, and ants ; (4) the lepidoptera, e.g, butterflies and moths ; (5) the hemiptera, e. g. cicadas and fleas ; (6) the coleoptera, e. g. cockchafers and glow-worms ; (7) the diptera, e,g. gnats and flies ; (8) the rhipiptera, e.g, the stylops; (9) the parasites, e,g, the acams; and (10) the thysanura, e,g. the lepisma and podura.
 * Thèse ten orders are (i) the orthoptera, e. g. grasshoppers and crickets;