{ix}INTRODUCTION.
The order _Lepidoptera_, which includes all those insects commonly known as
Moths and Butterflies, is chiefly distinguished by its members possessing
four wings clothed with numerous minute scales, the term _Lepidoptera_
being derived from the two Greek words, [Greek: lepis], a scale, and
[Greek: pteron], a wing. The mouth of these insects is suctorial, the
maxillæ forming a spiral proboscis which is coiled up between the large
labial palpi when not in use (see Plate I., figs. 5 and 6). The other oral
organs are rudimentary. To acquire this form these insects pass through
three very distinct stages, viz., the Egg, the Larva, and the Pupa.