97 

 BEETLES, AND FLIES. 



The Beetle Babometer. 



A MOST beautiful insect, called the 

 Clock Beetle, which flies about in the summer 

 evenings, in a circular direction, with a loud 

 buzzing noise, is said to foretel a fine day. 

 This insect was consecrated by the Egyp- 

 tians to the Sun. The body is often coloured 

 with a bluish or greyish gloss, sometimes 

 brassy beneath, and the shells frequently 

 dull. — Nicholson's Encyclopedia. 



The Bombaedier. 



This is a species of those insects called 

 buprostis, that is, whose wings are inclosed 

 in a kind of case, to cover and wrap them 

 up. It keeps itself concealed among the 

 stones, and seems to make little use of its 

 wings; when it moves, it is by a sort of 

 jump; and whenever it is touched, one is 

 surprised to hear a noise resembling the 



