74 



STAG-BEETLES. 



inches in length ; they are of a deep mahogany-brown color,, 

 the legs being very much lighter. The broad head of the male is- 

 smooth, that of the female narrower and rough. The males fly 

 during the months of July and August, and are very strong flyers,, 

 so that they can be heard buzzing about during the evening or 

 night. They are attracted by light, and enter our houses, where- 

 they greatly scare some persons. They never bite, however,, 

 unless forced to do so by being roughly handled. The females 

 are more retiring in their habits, and are not often found, and if 

 seen at all, it is usually upon the trunk of some bleeding tree. 



Fig. 80. — Lucans dama, Thunb. Adult; a, larva; b, cocoon. After Fuchs and' 

 Harris. 



The large larva of this beetle is found in the decaying wood 

 of many different kinds of trees, such as oak, apple, cherry, or 

 willow. From the very fact that these larvae are only found in, 

 old and decaying trees we can feel certain that they cause but 

 slight, if any damage. Larva and cocoon are shown in Fig. 80. 



A smaller beetle belonging to this family, the Platycerus quer- 

 cus Web., is sometimes injurious, because it devours the buds of 

 pear trees. Tt is also found in Minnesota, but mostly in the decay- 

 ing wood of old oak logs and stumps. It is a rather peculiar 

 beetle, nearly half an inch in length, with very large jaws in the 



