COLEOPTERA. 95 



When, as in certain seasons, they appear in considerable numbers, 

 they do not a little injury to vegetation, and, being generally ex- 

 posed to view on the leaves that they devour, they soon attract 

 attention. But the power possessed by most plants of renewing 

 their foliage, enables them soon to recover from the attacks of these 

 devourers ; and the injury sustained, unless often repeated, is 

 rarely attended by the ruinous consequences that follow the hid- 

 den and unsuspected ravages of those insects that sap vegetation 

 in its most vital parts. Moreover, the leaf-eaters are more within 

 our reach, and it is not so difficult to destroy them, and protect 

 plants from their depredations. The leaf-beetles are generally 

 distinguished by the want of a snout, by their short legs and 

 broad cushioned feet, and their antennae of moderate length, often 

 thickened a little towards the end, or not distinctly tapering. 

 Some of them have an oblong body and a narrow or cylindrical 

 thorax, and resemble very much some of the Lepturians, with 

 which Linnaeus included them. Others, and indeed the greater 

 number, have the body oval, broad, and often very convex. 



The oblong leaf-beetles, called Criocerians (CmocERiDiDiE), 

 have some resemblance to the Capricorn-beetles. They are dis- 

 tinguished by the following characters. The eyes are nearly 

 round and prominent ; the antennae are of moderate length, com- 

 posed of short, nearly cylindrical or beaded joints, and are im- 

 planted before the eyes ; the thorax is narrow and almost cylin- 

 drical or square ; the wing-covers, taken together, form an oblong 

 square, rounded behind, and much wider than the thorax ; and 

 the thighs of the hind-legs are often thickened in the middle. 



The three-lined leaf-beetle, Crioceris trilineata of Olivier, will 

 serve to exemplify the habits of the greater part of the insects of 

 this family. This beetle is about one quarter of an inch long, of a 

 rusty buff or nankin-yellow color, with two black dots on the 

 thorax, and three black stripes on the back, namely, one on the 

 outer side of each wing-cover, and one in the middle on the 

 inner edges of the same; the antennae (except the first joint), the 

 outside of the shins, and the feet are dusky. The thorax is ab- 

 ruptly narrowed or pinched in on the middle of each side. When 

 held between the fingers, these insects make a creaking sound like 

 the Capricorn-beetles. They appear early in June on the leaves 



