NATURE STUDY LESSONS. 93 



friends, he shows decided pleasure at having the back of 

 his head scratched. He is an interesting little fellow and 

 may be heard from again. 



Nature Study Lessons. XVII. 



BY EDWARD J. BURN HAM. 



The Click-beetles are so common, and their power of 

 snapping themselves into the air, when placed on their 

 backs, is so peculiar, that almost all ^countr}' boys and 

 many city boys will recognize them at once in the insect 

 box. In shape, too, as well as in habits, they have a 

 marked family resemblance, although they differ much in 

 color and size. Some are brown, while others are black, 

 and some are so small the}" can scarcely be seen, while 

 others, like the big Eyed Elater, are more than an inch 

 long ; but all have a pointed spine underneath, the end 

 of which fits into a cavity behind, and which serves as a 

 spring when the beetle wants to snap itself into the air 

 and turn over on to its feet as it comes down again. 



The Elaters, or Click-beetles, are trim, tidy-looking in- 

 sects, and no one, to see them, would suspect that they 

 have changed from the hard, round, yellow or white wire- 

 worms that are to be found in rotting wood, in the stems 

 of some plants, and in the ground, where they often do 

 great injury to growing crops — indeed, sometimes eating 

 the seed before the crop begins to grow. 



The Eyed Elater is a prize for any one's collection, and 

 3-et it is not so rare that a boy or girl need despair of find- 

 ing it. The larvae, or grubs, are frequentlv found in the 

 trunks of old apple-trees, so that an orchard, of course, and 

 especially an old one, is a good place to look for this great 

 pepper-and-salt-colored fellow, with the two large, black 

 velvety eye-like spots that appear to be on its head, but are 



