FOREIGN SCARITirxE. 53 



thickly and stoutly built, possessed of enormously powerful 

 jaws, and, in consequence of its long legs, stands rather high 

 from the ground. 



Its colour is equally conspicuous. The head and greater part 

 of the thorax and abdomen are dull black, but round both 

 abdomen and thorax runs a broad band of most brilliant metallic 

 colours, changing its hue with every shifting light, and scarcely 

 any two portions appearing of the same colour at the same time. 

 It is a sort of mixture of green and blue foil, fiery copper-red, 

 and burnished gold, and is peculiarly fascinating to the eye. I 

 should say that if one of those insects were walking at liberty 

 in the sunshine, it could be detected at a distance of many hun- 

 dreds of yards by the metallic gleams of this splendid border. 

 The middle of the elytra, black though they be, is yet handsome, 

 being covered with parallel rows of bold rounded tubercles. 



As a rule the Scaritides are black and dull, so that the 

 splendour of this species is all the more conspicuous. There 

 are, however, two exceptions which are worthy of notice, both 

 belonging to the same genus, and being inhabitants of Yucatan. 

 One of these is called Molobrus purjmratus, and has a broad 

 purple-copper band round the elytra, and a very narrow edge of 

 the same hue to the thorax. The second is Molobrus rotundi- 

 planis, which has its thorax surrounded with a narrow green 

 edge, and a broad red-copper band round the elytra. Both 

 insects are, however, comparatively small. The name Molobrus 

 is Greek, signifying " a glutton," and is given to these insects on 

 account of their voracity. 



The explanation of the last-mentioned name indicates the 

 general character of the Scaritides. They are pre-eminently 

 carnivorous, feeding mostly on living insects and larvae. For 

 this purpose they are well fitted by their firmly mailed bodies, 

 their powerful legs, and strong sharp jaws, which enable them 

 to pursue their prey into their very strongholds and there to 

 devour tliem. 



Several entomologists have observed tl;e habits of this species, 

 and agree in their accounts. They say that it is accustomed to 

 burrow under cowdung, using for this purpose its powerful 

 palmated fore legs, after the well-known manner of the Dor 

 Beetles. It does not, however, burrow for the purpose of laying 

 its eggs, but for the sake of feeding upon the larvae of the 



