522 AN INTRODUCTION TO ENTOMOLOGY 



but a new brood appears about the middle of September. The adult 

 is a general feeder occurring upon flowers, eating the pollen, upon 

 corn-stalks and green com in the milk, sucking the 

 juices, and upon peaches, grapes, and apples. Oc- 

 casionally the ravages are very serious. 



The green June-beetle or fig-eater, Cotinus nitida. — 

 This species extends over the Atlantic slope, and is very 

 common in the South. It is a green, velvety insect, 

 measuring from i6 mm. to 25 mm. in length. It is 

 somewhat pointed in front, and usually has the sides 

 of the thorax and elytra brownish yellow. These beetles 

 often fly in great nimibers at night, making a loud 

 buzzing noise similar to that of the May-beetles. In fact, in the 

 South the terra June-hug is often applied to this insect. The larvae 

 feed upon the vegetable mold of rich soils; sometimes they injure 

 growing vegetables by severing the roots and growing stalks ; but the 

 chief injury is due to the upheaval of the soil around the plants, 

 which disturbs the roots; the larvae are also often troublesome on 

 lawns and golf greens by making little mounds of earth on the surface. 

 Sometimes they leave the ground and crawl from one place to another. 

 When they do so, they, strangely enough, crawl upon their backs, 

 making no use of their short legs. On one occasion we saw them crawl- 

 ing over the pavements on the Capitol grounds at Washington in 

 such numbers that bushels of them were swept up and carted away. 

 The adults frequently attack fruit, especially figs, grapes, and peaches. 



Family TROGID^E 



The Skin-Beetles 



This is a small family, which is represented in this country by 

 twenty -five species. Until recently these insects were included in the 

 preceding family; they can be distinguished from scarabaeids by the 

 fact that the epimera of the mesothorax do not extend to the coxae 

 as they do in the Scarabaeidae. The members of this family are 

 oblong, convex species, in which the surface of the body and wing- 

 covers is usually very rough, and covered with a crust of dirt, which 

 is removed with great difficulty. They are small or of 

 medium size ; our most common species measure from 

 8 mm. to 12 mm. in length. The abdomen is covered 

 by the elytra; the feet are hardly fitted for digging, but 

 the femora of the front legs are greatly dilated. 



These beetles feed upon dried, decomposing animal 

 matter; many species are found about the refuse of 

 tanneries, and upon the hoofs and hair of decaying ^^- ^^• 



animals. 



Except a few species found in the Far West, all of our species 

 belong to the genus Trox (Fig. 630). 



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