THE MARVEL OF AN INSECT by Alan Devoe, ADP/B.Sc English Notes

THE MARVEL OF AN INSECT by Alan Devoe

THE MARVEL OF AN INSECT by Alan Devoe, ADP/B.Sc English Notes

THE MARVEL OF AN INSECT is a contribution by Allan Devoe to “ A Collection of Memorable Articles” in The Reader’s Digest. In this essay he has keenly described the insects and the marvels related to their habits, power and structure. He gives references of the researches carried on by entomologists.

Main Idea Of The Story "THE MARVEL OF AN INSECT" (Theme)

Devoe expresses the reality in "THE MARVEL OF AN INSECT" that our earth is teemed with the complex little creatures. These creatures are called insects. These are numerous in size and kind. The entomologists predict that all the insects may be in millions. The writes describes the power and achievement of insects. The insects are a great creation of Allah Almighty. Allah has granted wonderful power of hearing, seeing and touching. They do miraculous things with their tiny structure.

Summary (THE MARVEL OF AN INSECT)

This summary of the article "THE MARVEL OF AN INSECT" is as under:

1. Varieties of insects

Our earth teems with complex little creatures that no one can count them. Nearly seven hundred and fifty thousand species have been classified. About four thousand new varieties are found every year. The insects have countless shapes and habits. They can cope with life under almost any circumstances. There is a beetle that thrives on red pepper. Many tiny insects that lives on the tongues of the horse flies. There are other insects which have neither mouths nor stomachs and they never eat
at all. Insects are the wonderful creatures of God. These have delicate shapes. Some have beautifully patterned wings and some have horrible shapes. These have their living conditions.

2. Structure of Insects / Common things in Insects

The insects have a lot of common aspects as far as their structure is concerned.

Boneless:

An insect had no bones. It has an external Skelton. It is build inside out and upside down. Its heart is on top near its back. Its legs are just like tubes. The legs are the strongest supporting device on an insect. Its legs have immense power.

Flying Power:

The insects have an immense capacity to fly. They fly over long distances regularly. For example, Monarch Butterflies make flights of three thousand miles and more. They are very tiny creature but they do this difficult task easily. Fainted Lady Butterflies are found to make a journey from North Africa to Iceland. They face rain and storm. Sometime they reach their destination with their wings broken on the way.

Outside Skelton:

The insects have common outside skeleton. Its external structure is a protective plate for muscles, nerves and soft tissues.

Circulation of Blood:

The insect’s blood is not confined by any system of veins. Blood circulates in the body of an insect through a single artery.

Respiratory System:

As Insects have marvelous structure. Same is the case with their respiratory system. It quite easy and wonderful. It has no lungs. There are very small holes along its sides. It gets oxygen through these holes.

Wings:

The insects have powerful and patterned wings. They have great striking power. A dragon Fly has thing wings but it can fly at a speed of forty hours per hour. A tiny mosquito can fly easily with its tiny wings.

Sensory Power:

The insects have wonderful sensory power. They listen with delicate hair sensitive to sound waves or tympanic membrane like our ear drums.

Visionary Power:

The insects have small eyes called Ocelli on top of their heads. Without compound eyes an insect see a world of extra ordinary colours. The eye of a dragon fly can see twenty five thousand scenes at a times.

Tate Organs:

An insect has its taste organs in its mouths but it can also taste by other parts of the body.

Wonders of Insects (THE MARVEL OF AN INSECT)

1. A mosquito filled with blood can performs the extra ordinary aerodynamics feat flying off carrying a load twice than its own weight.
2. A mosquito can beat its wings more than three hundred times a second.
3. The midge’s wings which are tiny and invisible beat more than a thousand times a second.
4. A flea can hop hundred times than its own weight.
5. Insects may look fragile but they have immense strength. The little insects can survive even when the air and moisture has been sucked. Whereas the giant elephant cannot stand such type of experiment.
6. Insects have rudimentary brains. They have lavish sensory gifts. These have extra ordinary sensory power. Acute human hearing seldom ranges above twenty thousand vibrations per second. Whereas Bush crickets can hear forty five thousand. These have supersonic hearing power.
7. Insects can hear sounds outside the human range.
8. The insects have their own communication system.
9. They have invisible eyes or light sense.
10. In its capacities to taste and smell, an insect achieves perhaps the most remarkable sensitivity of all.
11. The insects have extra ordinary scent and taste power. Human taste can detect sweetness in the solution having one part of sugar to about two hundred parts of water. Whereas some moths and butterflies can detect the presence of sugar when it is one part in three hundred thousand.

Conclusion of the Lesson "THE MARVEL OF AN INSECT"

The writer has beautifully described the wondrous structure of insects in this article "THE MARVEL OF AN INSECT". He has concluded with keen observation that the insects are having a unique structure and immense power along with extra sensitive organs. All these characteristics enable the insects to cope with their environment. The scientific approach and detail study has revealed marvel of insects. The essay shows that comprehensive and objective approach of the author to the subject matter.