Goat- or Capricorn-Beetles 257 



The female Capricorn-beetles have a jointed 

 ovapositor — that is, a jointed egg-layer in the end 

 of their bodies which works like the joints of a 

 telescope. When they want to put eggs into any 

 crevice, crack or hole in the wood or plant, they 

 run out their telescope, insert it in the hole and 

 then shoot their eggs into the place where they 

 wish them to be. 



The babies are long grubs, whitish and fleshy 

 with the rings of the body very convex — that is, 

 arched-like or as Harris says " hunched up both 

 above and below." 



Although these babies have a small head, it is 

 provided with short but very powerful jaws, so 

 powerful that it can timnel its way through the 

 best of solid wood. These borers will make holes 

 in the logs of your cabin, especially the bottom 

 logs where the dampness comes up from the 

 earth. Some of them fill the hole up behind them 

 with castings known by the name of powder post 

 and many of them live for several years in the log 

 before coming out as beetles. Others of the borers 

 keep the back door open and below it you will find 

 a little pyramid of fine sawdust. 



There are several families of Capricorn-beetles, 



17 



