of an aged Ash Tree. 



333 



ei 



81 



gnivil 

 .ri 



a, Male; b % female j d, larva. 



^rSfijfe^ fforrMt; bein 

 Ian 



79C 



Stephens) (Jig. 43.), as 

 well as of its usual 

 associate Sinodendron 

 [sino, to injure, <&ra- 

 dron, a tree] cylindri- 

 cum Stephens) (Jig- 

 44.); but I could not 

 discover a single spe- 

 cimen of either insect 

 in the intermediate 

 state of chrysalis. The 

 larva (c) of the jDorcus, 

 it strikes me, is very 

 large in proportion to 

 the beetle which is 

 nearly equal in size to the cock- 

 chafer grub, which it very much resembles, 

 except that, instead of being, like that, of a 

 cream colour, it is rather of a bluer white. 

 In placing some of these larvae in spirits of 

 4i wine for preservation, I observed a black 



mark soon make its appearance immediately 

 below the back of the head : from a small 

 spot it gradually increased, pervading the 

 rest of the body, till the whole grub became 

 of the same uniform dark colour. Dorcus 

 parallelipipedus and Sinodendron cylindricum are the usual 

 inhabitants of the interior of decayed ash trees, dwelling toge- 

 ther promiscuously, and, as it should seem, in perfect har- 

 mony and good will. e 8nt>dqsj8 us\ttc^icHta\\m»q; z*m^(T 



They who have paid no attention, or but little, to the 

 habits of insects, on inspecting such a vegetable ruin as the 

 one I am speaking of, might naturally enough, in the first in- 

 stance, feel disposed to attribute the decay of the tree, in part 

 at least, to the insects which abounded within it. For, when- 

 ever any mischief or injury takes place, the animals, whether 

 quadrupeds, birds, or insects, detected near the scene of 

 action, are pretty sure to be made the blame-bearers by the 

 ignorant and less informed, and to be treated accordingly. 

 The small stag-beetle, however, and its congener, the Sino- 

 dendron, like the woodpeckers, I am satisfied, commit no 

 injury on the living or sound wood ; attacking such only as 

 they already find far gone in a state of decay, which, in the 

 present instance, they had perforated in all directions. Many 

 were found pursuing their occupations in the decayed tim- 

 ber, at the distance of 18 ft. from the ground ; to which height 



a, Female ; b, male. 



