40 ^"ORTH AMERICAN INSECTS. 



Lamellicom. Its head is very short, but provided -w-ith a 

 curved horn two lines in length. It has two very short, 

 pincher-like jaws, a bright, vaulted thorax, with an inter- 

 mediate line, wing-covers striated and very bright, and six 

 short legs, covered "v^ith brown hair. It lives in the trunks 

 of decayed trees, and is found in all parts of our country, 

 fi^m New England to 3Iexico and the West India Islands. 

 [Nearly allied to this insect, and very much resembling it 

 in many respects, is 



The Stag Beetle (Lucanus da7?ia). — This is an insect 

 known to almost every body. It is an inch and a half 

 long, of a chestnut color, with prominent pincher-like jaws, 

 which, however, in the female, are very short, and not larger 

 than those of the Horned Passalus. Its legs are quite long, 

 and terminate in two sharp claws. 



They are called Stag Beetles on account of their pronged 

 jaws, similar to the horns of stc^. They live principally 

 upon oak trees, and lick the dew from the trees, as well as 

 the sweet brown juice which oozes out from the stem of oak 

 trees, and if you put honey on the point of a knife they will 

 follow after it, as a dog will follow a piece of meat. They 

 may be seen flying around these trees toward night in the 

 months of July and August. 



These Beetles are well known to our youth, and attract 

 their attention by their singular form, but particulai'ly by 

 their prominent jaws, with which they pinch very hard. 

 TVood-cutters often bring them home as playthings for their 

 children, for which present, however, the little fellows some- 

 times have to pay with their tears. In some countries the 

 boys make tiny wagons, which they load with cherries or 

 raspberries, and to which, for their amusement, they har- 

 ness these Beetles, making them as beasts of draught. 



In the month of June or July, according to the temper- 

 ature of the country, the Stag Beetle deposits in decayed 

 oak wood her eggs, which are oval and yellow, the larvae 



