Order V1I. APTERA, (from 4, without, and 71-7reov. a wing.) Includes all insects without wings, as spiders,* crabs, lice, &c.
The great perspicuity of Linnmus's System of Ento mology, arose from its author having made choice of the most obvious characters which insects afford for the leading distinctions of his orders. In the construction of his genera, he has taken his characters from the parts of the head alone, paying particular attention to the form, situation, and structure of the antenna: or horns ; these parts being conspicuous in most insects, and so infinitely varied in their appearance, as to constitute, with few ex ceptions, a permanent distinction. That there are other characters which, in the opinion of later entomologists, are better adapted to the purpose of classification, the reader must be aware ; but these, although really pre ferable, are perhaps too minute to become always useful to the student ; yet to the man of science, who is really willing to learn and study entomology as a science, there can be no doubt as to the superiority of the modern sys tems, although we are ready to allow that the characters from the mouth are not so well calculated to further the views of the superficial observer, as those proposed by Lint e ; the simplicity of his arrangement, the celebrity of his name, and the princely patronage under which he conspired, with other favourable circumstances, to render the science more universally cultivated, ad mired, and respected, about his time, than it appears to have been at any former period. Much credit is un doubtedly due to this great man for his entomological labours ; but as we have stated before, when speaking of Aristotle, he is not alone entitled to our commendation for the arrangement he has proposed ; we must acknow ledge the merits of his predecessors, who wrote under less favourable circumstances, but nevertheless excelled in this departuient of science ; men to whom Lione stands in a very high degree indebted, and without the aid of which it is impossible to imagine the system which now commands our respect. In the works of Aristotle and Pliny, in those of Aldrovandus, Swammerdam, Ray, W J loughby, Lister, and various others, (whose works we have noticed), we perceive, with some variations, the grand outline on which he has formed his system: It was from these valuable sources that he gained the ma terials, from which he selected, with profound judgment, and the greatest success, the valuable matter, carefully and industriously separating the dross. The characters
of his orders and genera also are to be found in several earlier publications, as are descriptions of several of the species. But he has concentrated these scattered rays of science with so much skill and industry, that we must admit that to him alone the science is indebted for that firm foundation on which it now rests. His style through out is concise and expressive, but in many instances it is so laconic, that it is impossible even to guess at the ani mals described.
In 1768, was published in Paris, Bomare Dictionaire raisonne universal d' Histoire Naturelle,4to.
In 1769, in three volumes 4to. Ejusdem Iconca Insec torum circa Ratisbonum Indigenorum, f.7c. Regensburg, by Saxffer.
And in the same year, at Leipsic, was published, in octavo, J. A. Scopoli Historic° .Naturales.
Also Dr Johri Berkenhout, M. D. published the first edition of his Outlines of the .Aratui-al History of Great Britain. That portion containing insects is very limited, treating of no more than six hunded species, which are arranged after the Liniman system. Notwithstanding the small number of species enumerated, this little work has tended materially to advance the study of entomo logy in G•eat Britain. Since the publication of the above, three or four other editions have appeared.
In 1770, J. R. Forster published, at Warrington, in octavo, Catalogue of British Insects, a mere list of La tin names, amounting to about 1000 species, the greatest number hitherto enumerated. This was inter:le:1 as a Prodromus to a general work on the insects or Britain, as we learn from the preface, in which the author offers duplicates in exchange for any not in his collection.