88 INSECTS ABROAD. 



black, and there is a large dark spot on the middle of the thorax, 

 which is much raised and of a bright yellow colour. The spot 

 is slightly punctured, and has no definite boundary, the black 

 fading by degrees through various shades of dun and brown into 

 the yellow of the thorax. 



Underneath, it is much handsomer than on the upper surface. 

 If the insect be turned over, its actual body is seen to be quite 

 small and narrow, the great width being obtained by the flatten- 

 ing of the elytra and the ends of th.e thorax. The body itself 

 is dark brownish black, while the thin edges of the thorax are 

 yellow and translucent. The edges of the elytra are also 

 flattened, and at their extreme margin are turned up into a 

 sort of narrow fold, which is covered with bright golden down. 

 The chief beauty of the insect lies however in the flat portion, 

 which is deeply crinkled, and of a vivid metallic green, deeply 

 punctured. The contrast between the dark brown body, the 

 streak of golden down, and the vivid glittering green band is 

 very striking, and quite takes the observer by surprise when he 

 sees it for the first time, as the upper surface gives no indication 

 of the hidden beauty below. 



I mentioned that there was an exception to the general colour 

 of the Silphas. This is found in the insect which is appro- 

 priately termed Silpha ccelestina, a Beetle which seems to have 

 transferred to its upper surface the splendid colouring which 

 adorns the under surface of the preceding insect. The head of 

 this beautiful Beetle is shining polished green, and the thorax 

 has three distinct colours, the fore-part being red coppery bronze, 

 the middle dark blue, and the hinder portion dark green. The 

 boldly ridged elytra are ultramarine blue, the body itself is dark 

 green, and the legs are dark shining blue, so that there is scarcely 

 a more beautiful insect in existence. 



Many entomologists rank the group of Beetles to which onr 

 next example belongs in a separate family, under the name of 

 Histeridce. They are all flat, square, black, hard-bodied Beetles, 

 with skins so hard and shining that they look and feel much as 

 if they were incased in steel armour. None of our English 

 specimens are large, but many of them are so hard that when 

 they are " set " the entomologist is obliged to pierce them with a 

 needle before he can get the pin through their steely elytra. 



