THE INSECT WORLD. 



171 



The family Silphida:, containing what are popularly known as 

 "carrion" and "burying beetles," is in sharp contrast to any- 

 thing heretofore spoken of, and here the antennae are capitate, — 

 i.e., terminated by a spherical or ovate knob abruptly formed, 

 like a head. The beetles are usually found on or about carrion 

 of all kinds, though some of the smaller forms live in decaying 

 fungi. In the large" species there are two distinct types, repre- 

 sented on the one hand by the genus Silpha, in which the species 



Fig. 142. 



Carrion beetles. — a, Necrophorus americana : b, larva o( Silpha lapponica ; c, Silpha 



aniericana. 



are much flattened and proportionately very broad, with small 

 heads, and on the other by the genus Necrophorus, in which the 

 species are much more heavily built, narrower, not flattened, and 

 with large heads. These are the true "burying" beetles, and 

 derive the name from their habit of excavating beneath small 

 dead animals and gradually sinking them below the surface level. 

 Then the females lay their eggs in and the larvae live upon the 

 buried and decaying creatures. The other carrion beetles make 

 no pretence of burying their prey, but lay their eggs at once, 

 and the larvae feed upon it from below, usually making a short 

 burrow in the soil for shelter, though this is not universal. In 

 both types the larvae are black, flattened, broadly oval, and with 



