As an aid to the beginner in making preliminary identification of his specimens and also as an aid in arranging his collection, a short descriptive synopsis of the orders of living insects is given below. In this description are noted the most distinctive features of the common insects occurring in Illinois. There are rare and obscure forms, seldom met by the collector, that require a more technical key for their identification; for these the collector will need to consult some of the more nearly complete books listed on page 70. The collector will find, however, that this synopsis will afford a beginning for his classification of the common forms.

Various characters are used to identify an insect to family, genus, and species. Among these characters are the antennae, wings (if present), legs, and mouthparts. Frequently important for identification are such minute details as hair or scales covering the body or wings and the texture of these parts. In most cases good microscopic equipment is necessary to see clearly the characters used in the diagnosis of insects.