THE COMMON COCKCHAFEE. 115 



of the cockchafer grub, whose ill deeds will presently be 

 recorded. 



The insect belongs to the family Rutelidoe, the members of 

 which have strong, horny mandibles, those of the preceding 

 family being only horny on the outside ; and, besides these 

 differences, the elytra are lined with a membrane which 

 projects a little behind. In the genus to which we are re- 

 ferring, the antennse have nine joints, the clypeus is short, and 

 the thorax is narrowed behind. The name Phyllopertha is 

 composed of two Greek words, signifying ' leaf-destroyer,' and 

 is very appropriately given to this insect, on account of the 

 ravages which it makes among the leaves of fruit-trees. The 

 specific title of horticola is formed from two Latin words, and 

 signifies ' garden-frequenting.' 



Next we come to the small though important family of 

 the Melolonthidoe, which includes those insects which are popu- 

 larly called Cockchafers. Only five species of this family in- 

 habit England, and of these only two are even tolerably common. 

 These two, however, more than compensate by their enormous 

 numbers for the paucity of the other species ; and in some seasons 

 are so exceedingly plentiful that they become an absolute pest 

 to the agriculturist, laying waste thousands of trees, and de- 

 stroying acre upon acre of pasture land. 



The family of the Melolonthidae have very strong mandibles, 

 as is evident from the havoc which the insects make amona: 

 leaves, and the outer lobe of the maxillae is strongly toothed. 

 In the -typical genus, the antennse are ten-jointed, and the 

 club of the male is composed of seven joints, while tliat of the 

 female contains only six. The flattened plates of the club are 

 much smaller in the female than in the opposite sex. 



On Plate V. Fig. 2, is shown a male specimen of the common 

 Cockchafer (^Melolontha vulgaris) crawling to the trunk of a 

 tree. The insect is so well known that a detailed description is 

 scarcely necessary. The peculiar bent projection at the end of 

 the abdomen is worthy of notice, as are the rows of triangular 

 white spots along its sides. There is a greyish down on the 

 breast, and the elytra are covered with a yellowish down. 

 Unless the insect have quite newly emerged from tlie pupal 

 state and been handled very carefully, the down is sure to be 



I 2 



