16 INSECTS ABROAD. 



the body is deep velvety black, and upon each of the wing- 

 cases there is a V-shaped mark of golden yellow ; the apex 

 of the V being towards the suture of the elytra, so that the 

 two V's form a St. Andrew's cross of yellow on a black 

 ground. As a rule, the lower limbs of this cross are twice as 

 wide as the upper, but there is a wonderful amount of variety 

 in the cross-mark, not only in width, but in shape and 

 colour. I have examined many specimens of this insect, and 

 never found two which were exactly alike in the hue and 

 form of their markings. 



Perhaps the most variable of all the Tiger Beetles is that 

 lovely insect the Chinese Tiger Beetle {Gicindela Sinensis — or, 

 as it is sometimes but wrongly spelled, Chincnsis). Owing to 

 its extreme variableness, it is not an easy insect to describe, and 

 it is a remarkable fact that certain recognisable varieties are 

 found in different districts of China, so that the boundaries of 

 such districts cannot be merely arbitrary, but must have some 

 geographical foundation. As it is so variable, I have selected 

 an average specimen from my collection, and describe it as an 

 example of the ordinary colouring. 



Just as in our common Tiger Beetles green is the leading 

 colour, so blue takes the chief part in the Chinese Tiger Beetle. 

 The ground hue of the elytra is deep, velvet azure, and they are 

 edged with glittering golden yellow, which spreads over the 

 shoulders so as to form a bold cross. Two bands of rich cream 

 colour cross each elytra, near the tip, and there are two little 

 spots of the same colour near the outer edge. 



Under successive powers of the microscope a wonderful sight 

 is revealed. On placing the insect under a moderate power — 

 say about thirty diameters — the whole of the surface is seen to 

 be broken up into innumerable shining points, all of which have 

 a golden sheen when the direction of the light is changed. 

 Those portions which are not touched favourably by the light 

 look absolutely brown, and it is most interesting to shift the 

 light in various directions, and see the dark brown spots flash 

 suddenly into violet, purple, green, and gold, and change back 

 again to their dull brown, according as the angle of light is 

 altered. 



I)oul»ling the magnifying power adds to the revelation of this 



