CHAPTER VII. 



THE COLEOPTERA — BEETLES. 



The Coleoptcra are those insects which are commonly called 

 beetles. There are great numbers of them, and perhaps they 

 have been more carefully studied, so far as their specific differences 

 are concerned, than any other insects. More pains have been 

 taken to collect them than have been given to the discovery of any 

 other orders, and special collections have been formed by a great 

 number of amateur naturalists, who have searched the whole world 

 over for these objects, which appear to be so very interesting to 

 them. Books which contain simple descriptions of the Coleoptera 

 appear year by year in the different countries of Europe and 

 America, and some treat of one genus of beetles, whilst others 

 refer to the species of a district. The beetles of France are not 

 yet all described, and a distinguished naturalist, M. Mulsant, of 

 Lyons, has been at work at them for more than twenty-five years. 

 This may give us an idea that the species of beetles are tolerably 

 numerous ; but really their numbers are legion, and it may be 

 asserted, with a tolerable degree of truth, that 100,000 species have 

 been collected and placed in museums. The greater number of 

 them have been described in large works, in periodicals, and in 

 pamphlets, and it will readily be understood that it is not very 

 easy to find the description of any particular beetle, in conse- 

 quence of the scattered nature of the literature of the subject- 

 Fortunately, Professor Lacordaire has published a work enume- 

 rating the beetles, and giving the names of books which contain 

 their descriptions and drawings. 



Considering what charms the Coleoptcra have for so large a 

 number of naturalists, one might think that there was something 



