COLEOPTERA. 55 



Family CERAMBYCID^. 



The most salient characters of this great family of beetles are^ 

 body more or less cylindrical, with very long slender antennoB ; larvte 

 called " borers," their bodies cylindrical, usually footless. 



This great family includes a large number of species, many of 

 ■which are wood-borers, and they are alike interesting to the general 

 collector and student of forest entomology. The latter may often be 

 able to hatch them, from larvae in either fresh or dead wood, while 

 the former may often enrich his collection with specimens found on 

 the flowers of large umbelliferous plants. 



The duration of the -larval stage is very varied. They may, as a 

 rule, live from one to three years, but instances are given of the 

 perfect insects appearing from furniture which 

 had been made of timber lying cut prior to using 

 for several years.^ 



Aromia moschata, Linn. (Musk Beetle). 



This species is so named because of the pecu- 

 liar odour which it emits, which has been com- 

 pared to the otto of roses. In the larval stage 

 it is very destructive to willow-trees, and very 



Fig. 53.— Olvtu 



often attacks lime-trees, but it is generally s(c^. (Fimn jihot.. by 



' ° -^ A. Flutters.) 



found in the rough stems of old pollarded 



willows, and, in fact, is said to be very common in all willow-growing 



districts. 



The beetle is a very pretty and handsome insect, about an inch or 

 more in length, with a strong spine on each side of the thorax. The 

 colour varies from a rich sapphire to an iridescent peacock-green. In 

 the male the antennae are \\ time as long as the body ; in the female, 

 a little shorter than the body. 



Clytus arietis, Linn. (Wasp Beetle). 



This beetle (fig. 53) derives its common name from its general ap- 

 pearance, which resembles a wasp. The body is rather more than half 



^ As the genera and species in this family, given as arboreal, are so compara- 

 tively few, it is not considered advisable to add generic characters. 



