50 NORTH AMERICAN INSECTS. 
hind body, and ending in a point which is inclosed in a 
sheath while the animal is erect. When, therefore, this 
insect is laid upon its back, it bends its thorax and head, 
and, at the other extremity, its hind body backward toward 
the surface upon which it is laid, which motion causes its 
spring to fly out of its sheath, like the spring of a watch, 
and throws the Beetle perpendicularly up in the air a dis- 
tance of several inches. If they do not succeed the first 
time in recovering their standing posture, they repeat the 
operation perseveringly until they do, oftentimes to the 
great amusement of the children, who catch them and lay 
them on their backs in their hands. 
These insects generally deposit their eggs in the crevices 
of the bark of decaying trees, where their larvz live several 
years before they become perfect Beetles. A few of the 
smaller species, whose larvz live in the ground and feed on 
roots, may become somewhat injurious to vegetation. 
There are many species of Spring Beetles on this conti- 
nent, whieh may be distinguished by their size, color, and 
antenne. ‘The largest and hand- 
somest in the United States is 
The VELVET-SPOTTED SPRING 
BreEtLe (Elater occulatus).— This 
insect is about one and a half 
inches long, and slender: some 
species are longer, and others 
shorter than this. Its head, like 
that of all its kindred species, is 
very small, and looks as if it were 
sunken in the thorax, which is 
large, and composes about one- 
third of its whole body. It is of 
a light brownish color, sprinkled 
here and there with white spots. 
It is called in Latin occulatus, or 
Figure 11. 

Velvet-spotted Spring Beetle. 
