﻿THE LAMELLICORNES, OR " CHAFERS/^ 119 



wide, — and, as usual in fossorial species, capable of great 

 freedom of motion, — and the front tibise widened and 

 strongly toothed on the outer side. 



In Copris the basal joints of the labial palpi are dilated 

 with the third joint distinct ; and the metasternum is 

 large, flat, and in the shape of a parallelogram. C. lunaris, 

 a large, shining, deep-black species, clothed with scanty 

 reddish-brown hairs beneath and on the sides, has a long 

 erect horn on the head in the male ; the thorax, also, in 

 this sex is somewhat squarely truncated in front, and 

 excavated and toothed externally on each side. The 

 female exhibits a very slight tendency to a somewhat 

 similar structure ; having, also, the thorax more closely 

 punctured : and it is needless to repeat that the small 

 males are intermediate between the two extremes of de- 

 velopment. 



This insect burrows a foot or more down into the hard 

 ground beneath cow-dung, two specimens being often 

 found at the bottom of the burrow. It flies but seldom, 

 and produces a considerable noise by rubbing the ab- 

 domen against the hinder margin of elytra. It occurs 

 near Greenwich Park. 



The species of Onthophagus have nine-jointed an- 

 tennae, some of the joints of the club being concave j 

 the last joint of the labial palpi scarcely visible j and 

 slender tarsi. They are mostly small and flattened ; 

 with the thorax greenish-black, and the elytra lurid - 

 brown chequered with black ; and are found gregariously 

 in dung, especially in sandy places and near the coast, 

 but they never dig burrows deep below the surface. 

 At times certain of them have been observed in dead 

 animals. 



The back of the head in the male is often armed with 



