194 Bugs, Butterflies, and Beetles 



Both are sheaths inasmuch as they cover or pro- 

 tect either the knife-blade or the wings. 



The name of the beetle family is Coleoptera, 

 which word is made up from Icoleos, a sheath, and 

 pteron, a wing. This combination was invented by 

 Mr. John Ray, an English naturalist, in 1705, and 

 it has stuck to the beetles ever since. 



The larvffi or baby beetles are not caterpillars, 

 but are generally known as grub-worms or meal- 

 worms or wire-worms because of their worm-like 

 appearance. Usually the larvas have six legs near 

 the front of the body, one pair of legs for each of 

 the first three divisions of the body, although the 

 grubs of some species are legless and some, one 

 might say, very nearly have legs on the tail end 

 of the body, and in many of the babies their walk- 

 ing, creeping or crawling is aided by warts on the 

 bell}^ of the grub which serve as legs and feet. 



The baby beetles, like their parents, have 

 mouth parts built for biting and most of these 

 babies are so timid and modest that they hide them- 

 selves away from sight in rotten stumps, in the 

 earth, under stones, inside of seeds, nuts and in 

 acorns, in furs, woolens and hair goods. Some 

 lead the lives of lions and tigers, catching and eat- 



