HOW TO ELUDE AN ENEMY. 71 



tlie second. The antennge are long, and slightly thickened at 

 the tip. There are fourteen species of this genus. 



The head of this species is black, and the thorax is convex, 

 with a deep pit at the base. Its colour is dusky-black, covered 

 with down. The elytra are dull brick-red, becoming brown at 

 the suture ; the legs are red, and the abdomen is black witli 

 red edges to all the segments. The insect is common every- 

 where. 



The Beetle which is our next example of this family belongs 

 to an enormous genus, containing at least 160 species. Its 

 name is Homalota brunnea, and it is drawn on Woodcut VII. 

 Fig. 5. 



In this genus the head is without any distinct neck, and the 

 body is narrow and much flattened. The tarsi of the front legs 

 have four joints, and those of the hind legs five joints, the four 

 first joints being equal in size. The joints of the antennse are 

 bead-like. 



The present species is a flat, shining, brick-red insect, with 

 the exception of the head and th( last segment but one of the 

 abdomen, which are grey-black, tLf abdomen being thickly and 

 rather deeply punctured. There is a very shallow groove in the 

 middle of the thorax. The legs are pale reddish-brown. 



This is a very common insect, and yet Mr. E. A. Smith, who 

 has long given much attention to the Brachelytra, tells me that 

 he cannot fix upon any special locality for it, having found 

 it indifferently in sand-pits, on palings, and similar places. 

 Indeed, the whole family is a very bewildering and trouble- 

 some one to the investigator, and would require the uninter- 

 rupted labour of several years before it could be thoroughly 

 mastered. 



Our last example of this large family is the Beetle called 

 Gyrophcena gentilis, which is drawn on Woodcut VIII. Fig. 1 . 



The Beetles of this genus are broad in proportion to their 

 length, and much flattened ; yet, in spite of their short 

 bodies, they are able to double, or rather roll, themselves up 

 until they look like anything but insects, and are difficult of 

 detection. The thorax is wider than the head and very short, 

 and the elytra are wider than they are long. The anterior 



