144 COLEOPTERA. 



bright metallic-green colour, is another example of this 

 family ; it is sometimes taken in the South of England, 

 but is not considered indigenous. The Oil-beetles 

 {Meloidw) may also be mentioned ; insects of a singular 

 appearance and parasitic habits. They are large, heavy, 

 slowly-crawling beetles, but of pretty bluish-black 

 colour ; when handled they exude a quantity of yellow 

 fluid from their joints. The Elytra are about half the 

 length of the body, and there are no wings. But it is 

 in the development and transformation of the Meloe 

 where the greatest wonder and interest are excited. I 

 cannot do better than transcribe what Mr. Rye has 

 written on the subject. 



" The female Meloe deposits from two to four separate 

 batches of minute yellow eggs, some thousands at a 

 time, though the number di- 

 minishes with each laying. 

 The eggs are glued together 

 and deposited in small holes 

 in the ground, dug by the 

 parent beetle. After an in- 



MKLOK (Oil-beetle.) ^^^^^^ ^^ ^j^^,^^ ^^ ^.^^ ^^^^^j^^^ 



according to the temperature, the young larvse are 

 hatched, and are extremely like little 2^^diculi, or bird- 

 lice, being yellow, elongate, parallel, flattened, with 

 rather long legs, and four long hairs at the apex of 

 the last segment. They appear to remain torpid for 

 some time, but when once roused by sufticient warmth, 

 exhibit extraordinary activity in traversing low plants, 

 chiefly Ranunculaceoe or Chicoracew. From these they 

 attach themselves, often in great numbers, to the 

 hairy covering of bees as they settle on the flowers of 



