LONG HORNED BEETLES. 115 



tennae, which in some species are armed with horns ; their narrow 

 wing-covers possess two smaller pointed projections at their pos- 

 terior extremity, one on each side. 



A numher of species occur, all similar in general appearance 

 and habits. The Parallel Elaphidion (E. parallelum Newm.), 

 is the most common one. The female lays eggs near the axii of 

 one of the leaf buds, where the young larva also enters the twig, 

 enlarging the channel as it increases in size. 



The Apple-tree Pruner, (E. villosum Fab.), is very sim- 

 ilar in general appearances. The feelers of the male are longer 

 than the body, which is covered with short grayish hairs, which 

 in some places are crowded together on the thorax and elytra, 

 forming pale spots- The under side of the body is chestnut- 

 brown. Prof. Saunders describes the habits of this species of 

 beetle as follows : 



"The peculiar habits and instincts of this insect are very 

 interesting. The parent beetle places an egg in the axil of a leaf 

 on a fresh green twig proceeding from a moderate sized limb. 

 When the young larva ha'tches. it burrows into the center of the 

 twig, and down towards its base, consuming in its course the soft 

 pulpy matter of which this part of the twig is composed. By 

 the time it reaches the main limb, it has become sufficiently ma- 

 tured to be able to feed upon the harder wood, and makes its 

 way into the branch, when the hollow twig is vacated, grad- 

 ually withers, and drops off. The larva, being now about half 

 grown, eaits its way a short distance through the middle of the 

 branch, and then proceeds deliberately to sever its connections 

 with the tree by gnawing away the woody fiber to such an extent 

 that the first storm of wind snaps the branch off. This is 

 rather a delicate operation for the insect to perform, and requires 

 wonderful instinctive skill, for should it gnaw away too much 

 of the woody interior the branch might break during the pro- 

 cess, an accident which would probably crush the workman to 

 death ; but the insect rarely miscalculates ; it leaves the bark and 

 just enough of the woody fiber untouched to sustain the branch 

 until it has time to make good its retreat into the burrow, the 



