490 NATURAL HISTORY. 



quarter of an inch long. The extreme length of their antennae 

 is the most conspicuous property, and from that peculiarity they 

 are at once recognized.* 



The Musk -beetle is a large insect, common in most parts of 

 England. It is extremely common at Oxford, and is found in 

 old willow-trees, with which Oxford is surrounded. Its pecu- 

 liar scent, something resembling that of roses, often betrays its 

 presence, when its green colour would have kept it concealed. 

 "When touched, it emits a curious sound, not unlike that of a bat, 

 but more resembling the faint scratching of a perpendicularly- 

 held slate pencil. Its larva bores deep holes in the trees, which 

 are often quite honeycombed by them. 



THE ROVE BEETLE. 



The E,OVE-BEETLES form an exceedingly extensive section. 

 Some are so small as to require the assistance of the microscope 

 to discover their shape, and others, as those represented on the 

 next page, are more than an inch in length. The small species 

 are usually on the wing, and it is very amusing to see them 

 alight, and with their flexible tails tuck their long and beauti- 

 fully shaped wings under the elytra, run about for a moment, 

 and then again take to flight. These are the creatures that 



'cause so much annoyance by flying into one's mouth or eye in 

 the warm months. 



The GREAT ROVE-BEETLE is commonly found upon decaying 

 animal substances. It is most formidably armed with two large, 

 curved, sharp mandibles, the bite of which is tolerably severe ; 

 and more than once, when the creature has been recently feed- 



ing upon putrid substances, dangerous results have followed. 



I much regret that want of space has withheld me from 

 giving accounts of many most interesting beetles, particularly 

 tome of the Carabidre, the Silphidte, Ptinida?, and the Water- 



* A small moth, Adela de Geerella, possesses the same peculiarity. The length of 

 the moth is about a quarter of an inch, and the length of the antennas more than an 

 inch and a half. The antennas wave about with every breath of air, as if the insect 

 had become entangled in a spider's web, and escaped with some of the loose threads 

 floating about it. 



