PUPA OF NECRODES LITTORALIS. 601 



anterior angles ; the scutellum, as in the perfect insect, is 

 large ; the elytra are short and folded over the sides of the 

 body, and marked with three elevated lines, similar to those 

 on the perfect insect ; the wings are longer and meet on the 

 under side of the abdomen ; each segment of the abdomen is 

 furnished at the sides with a large brown hair, and there are 

 two anal ones. The two anterior pair of legs are folded over 

 the breast and are quite exposed; the posterior pair are co- 

 vered by the wing-cases, a small portion of the tibia and 

 femur only appearing beyond the body. The joints of the 

 antennae and tarsi of the future insect are perfectly visible 

 when held between the observer and the light. 



That this is the pupa of Necrodes lilt oralis I am led to 

 believe 1 from its great similarity to the perfect beetle, and 

 from my having taken almost at the same time a specimen of 

 the perfect insect from the carcass of a horse close by. It 

 is very probable that the larva buries in the sand and there 

 changes its state. When handled it moved the abdomen in 

 the same way as the pupae of butterflies and moths do. It 

 was infested by a small species of mite (Acarus ?). 



Mr. Westwood does not appear to be acquainted with the 

 pupae of the Silphidae, for in illustrating the transformations 

 of this family (to which Necrodes littoralis belongs) in his 

 truly valuable i Introduction to the Classification of Insects,' 

 he copies his figures of the larva and pupa of Necrophorus 

 humator from ' Hosel's Insect. Belustig.' vol. iv. pi 1, and 

 states that the larvae, when full grown, " form for themselves 

 a cell under ground, with the inner surface smooth and shin- 

 ing, and in which they assume the pupa state, being at first 

 of a whitish colour, and having two strong anal spines, where- 

 by they are enabled to turn themselves about in their cell ; 

 as they advance to maturity they gradually assume a darker 

 colour." 2 On comparing my figures with those of Rosel, as 

 given by Westwood, we find the hairs on each segment of the 

 abdomen, which are so conspicuous on my specimen, are en- 

 tirely wanting in his ; the apex of the abdomen is also differ- 

 ent ; but the thorax appears, as in my specimen, to be cover- 

 ed with hairs. 



Law Park, near St. Andrews, Fifeshire, 

 \bth Oct. 1839. 



1 Before I reached home the specimen from having met with some inju- 

 ry, was dead, and thus I was deprived of the most certain means of proving 

 that it really is the -pupa of the insect spoken of. I have not since had an 

 opportunity of visiting the spot, or of ohtaining another specimen. 



2 Westwood's ' Introduction to the Modern Classification of Insects,' vol. 

 i. page 138, fig. 10 (8 and 9). 



3 u 



