BEETLES. 53 



slime brilliantly when varnished and will excite the 

 curiosity of every one. If you cannot find wing- 

 covers enough of this Insect, take those also of 

 Tiger-beetles, Lady-bugs, Carabi, Cetonias, and a hun- 

 dred others with bright colours, and you will have a 

 variety of colours such as Nature only can paint, and 

 such as cannot fail to captivate the eye of every 

 observer, or to reward you for your trouble. Such 

 occupation would form a delightful amusement for 

 the long winter-evenings ; and while storms and 

 snows are raging without, what more genial employ- 

 ment than to be admiring the creatures of a sunny 

 clime and studying the character and uses of these 

 spangled ornaments of Nature's tropical dress! 



Now, in order to accomplish this, you must amuse 

 yourselves during the summer by catching Beetles 

 and preserving them. You will find hundreds of 

 them running in the roads, or concealed under stones, 

 or sitting on the leaves of plants, or flying in the 

 air. If you keep your windows open during the 

 warm nights also, those insects which are active only 

 at night will fly into the room towards the light, 

 and may thus be taken by the hand, for none of 

 the Beetles are venomous. But in order to preserve 

 them and make them die as quick as possible, you 

 must be provided with a wide-mouthed bottle, (a 

 horse-radish vial answers this purpose very well,) con- 



