8 AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGY. 



lated ; maxillae corneous, dentated ; labrurn entirely concealed ; 

 palpi filiform. 



Obs. The genus possessed of the above characters, retains 

 the Linnsean name of Scarabsetis in the system of Latreille, and 

 corresponds with the genus Geotrupes of Fabricius ; whilst the 

 genus Scarabseus of the latter author, is the same with Geotrvpes 

 of Latreille. Although, in the small portion of the present 

 work, printed in the year 1817, I adopted the Fabrician desig- 

 nation, yet, as Entomologists have generally chosen Latreille's 

 nomenclature in this respect, I have thought it necessary to ac- 

 quiesce in their decision. 



This genus comprehends some of the largest insects of the 

 order Coleoptera, and, amongst others, the noble species known 

 by the name of S. Hercules, of which the truly absurd story has 

 been related of its clasping a branch of a tree between the cor- 

 neous projections of the head and thorax, and by flying around 

 the limb thus included, finally succeeds in separating it from the 

 tree ; and that the insect then becoming inebriated with the fluid 

 that exudes from the wound, falls apparently lifeless to the 

 ground. 



Scarab^eus Tityus Linn. — Specific character. Thorax 

 three-horned, the lateral ones short, subulate ; middle one 

 bearded with yellow hair beneath, projected forwards, and bifid 

 at tip; horn of the head recurved, submarginate on the back 

 near the tip. 



Scarab. Tityus Linn. Syst. Nat. 

 Amoenit. Acad. vol. vi. p. 391. £ 

 Jablonsky Coleopt. p. 257, pi. 4, fig. 2. 

 Oliv. Ins. vol. i. p. 9, pi. 10, fig. 31, b. c. 

 Palisot de Beauv. Ins. p. 137, pi. 1, c. fig. 4, 5. 

 Le Scarabe Tityus Ency. Meth. Ins. pi. 137, fig. 7. % 

 Geotrupes Tityus Fabr. Syst. Eleut. vol. i. p. 10. 

 Scarab. Hercules minor Voet. Coleopt. p. 24, pi. 12, fig. 99. 

 Scarab, marianus Linn. 9 



Fabr. in his earlier works ; omitted in his Syst. Eleut. 

 Obs. This insect is so extremely rare in Pennsylvania, that 

 the late Rev. F. V. Melsheimer, the parent of Entomology in 

 this country, and a very industrious collector, found but two in- 

 dividuals in eighteen years. An instance has however occurred, 



