COLEOPTERA. 49 



slender and almost cylindrical, of a deep chestnut-brown color, 

 rendered gray, however, by the numerous short yellowish hairs 

 with which it is covered; the thorax is of moderate length, 

 not much nan-owed before, convex above, with very long and 

 sharp-pointed hinder angles, and in certain lights has a brassy 

 hue ; the wing-covers are finely punctured, and have very slen- 

 der impressed l(5ngitudinal lines upon them; the claws are not 

 toothed beneath. This beetle usually measures from four to 

 five tenths of an inch in length; but the females frequently 

 greatly exceed these dimensions, and, being much more robust, 

 with a more convex thorax, were supposed by Mr. Say to 

 belong to a different species, named by him brevicornis, the 

 short-horned. The larvae are not yet known to me ; but I have 

 strong reasons for thinking that they live in the ground upon 

 the roots of the perennial grasses and other herbaceous plants. 



Although above sixty different kinds of spring-beetles are 

 now known to inhabit Massachusetts, I shall add to the fore- 

 going a description of only one more species. This is the 

 Elater {Agriotes) ohesus of Say. It is a short and thick beetle, 

 as the specific name implies ; its real color is a dark brown, but 

 it is covered with du*ty yellowish gray hairs, which on the 

 wing-covers are arranged in longitudinal stripes; the head and 

 thorax are thickly punctured, and the wing-covers are punc- 

 tured in rows. Its length is about three tenths of an inch. 

 This beetle closely resembles one of the kinds, which, in the 

 grub state, is called the wire-worm in Em-ope, and possibly it 

 may be the same. This circumstance should put us on our 

 guard against its depredations. It is found in April, May, and 

 June, among the roots of grass, on the under side of boards 

 and rails on the ground, and sometimes also on fences. 



The utility of a knowledge of the natural history of insects 

 in the practical arts of life, was never more strikingly and 

 triumphantly proved than by Linnaeus himself, who, while 

 giving to natm-al science its language and its laws, neglected 

 no opportmiity to point out its economical advantages.* On 



* See the preface to Smith's " Introduction to Botany," and Pulteney's 

 " Tiew of the Writings of Linnaeus," for several examples, one of which it 

 7 



