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Insects are small animals but under the microscope their sculptured armour reveals varied complexity of structure, which in turn reflects myriad ways of life lived out in the tens of thousands of kinds of miniature habitats of the world. This beautifully illustrated book is a natural history of the insects, written for the students, the amateur entomologists, and the general reader. In an introductory section the author writes of the origin and evolution of insects and compares them with such related animals as the centipedes, spiders, and other arthropods. Following is a discussion of insect structure in terms of function, here will be found chapters on such subjects as flight, sense perception, behavior, and reproduction. A section on insects and their environment deals with adaptation to climate and season, the relationship of insects to plants and the many ways in which insects victimize other insects. In the final section are accounts of the main groups of insects. This book is highly useful for entomologists, naturalists, agriculturists, students, teachers, researchers and for those working on various aspects of insects.

Contents: I. In perspective: 1. The place of insects in nature. 2. The diversity of insects. II. Form and function: 3. The outside. 4. Flight. 5. The inside. 6. Reproduction and development. 7. Sense organs and behavior. III. Insects and their environment: 8. Climate and season. 9. Insects and plants. 10. Insects and other animals. 11. Insects versus insects. 12. Insect life in the water. IV. Parade of the insects: 13. Insects without wings. 14. Primitive winged insects. 15. A specialized sideline. 16. Ancient aquatics. 17. Beetles. 18. Butterflies and moths. 19. The two-winged flies. 20. On stings and societies. Conclusion. Bibliographies. Index.