52 BEETLES. 



insects, especially dung-beetles, which it attacks and carries off, 

 ond for this purpose it frequents dung-heaps. Very rare in 

 Britain. 



* N. humator, Fabr. (Plate V., Fig. 12). Smaller than the 

 Inst, with the club of the antennae orange. It is a common 

 species. 



* N. vespillo, Linn. (Plate Y., Fig. 13). Base of the antennse 

 orange. The front border of the pronotum has a thick yellow 

 pubescence. The hind tibiee are curved. It buries the dead 

 bodies of birds, moles, mice, &c., and lays its eggs in the car- 

 case; it is also frequently met with on flowers. It smells 

 strongly of musk. 



* N. vestigator, Hersch. (Plate Y., Fig. 14). The thorax is 

 surrounded with a yellow, woolly pubescence. The club of the 

 antennae is oranf^je, and the hind tibite are straioht. 



* N. rusjjator, Erichs. (Plate Y., Fig. 15). Black, with only 

 the extreme tip of the abdomen ciliated with yellowish-grey. 

 The bands on the wing-cases are red. 



* JV. mortuorum, Fabr. (Plate Y, Fig. 16). Antennae per- 

 fectly black. The first orange band on the elytra is unin- 

 terrupted, but the second is broken at the apex into two large 

 spots. It is found in carrion and in fungi. 



Genus Silpiia, Linn. 



Body oval or elongated; antennte gradually expanded, or 

 with three or four larger joints at the end. The maxillary 

 palpi are oval or cylindiicd above. The pronotum is wedge- 

 shaped or semicircular. Tliey mostly live on carrion, but also 

 prey on living insects. They are to be sought for in dead 

 carcases and under stones, and when touched throw out itM 

 evil - smelling liquid both from the mouth and abdomen. 



