8 LAMELLICORNIA. [Scarabeide. 
the genus Afeuchus, which roll up balls of dung with their hind legs, 
and deposit their eggs in the centre ; the larva, when hatched, finds its food 
prepared for it, and when it has consumed it, it is full-grown and ready 
to turn into the pupa state; the famous Ezyptian “ Sacred beetle” or 
“ Scarabeus”’ isa close ally of this genus, if it is not to be identified with 
it; we perpetually find representations of tlis beetle in Egyptian 
mummies and sarcophagi; it was apparently regarded as sacred partly 
because of its valuable work as a scavenger, and partly because its 
motions while rolling along the balls of dung were regarded as mysti- 
cally representing the motions of the earth and sun, &e. ; one of these 
Egyptian figures is represented in Vol. I., Introduction, page xvi. - 
The earliest known beetles mentioned by the ancients belong to this 
family, viz. the Coprion, Heliocantharus, and Cantharus; the latter 
beetle is referred to in the “ Pax” of Aristophanes (L. 1-7, &c.), 
where two attendants are introduced as feeding the Cantharus in the 
following dialogue :-— 
Oixérns A. Alp’ alpe paay os TaxLoTa Kavbapy. 
Oixérns B. idov" dds adTa, TA KaKioT GToAovMEVH, 
kal uhmor auras malay ndiw payor. 
O. A. dbs uaav éerépay e& dvidwy meTAaTUEYHY. 
O. B. idov war’ atOis* mov yap, hy viv Sy ’pepes ; 
ov KaTépayer ; 
O. A. ba Toy AP GAN ekapracas 
dAnv évéxauwe wepikvAtoas Toiv Todolv. 
Which may be freely translated :— 
Servant 1. Bring a cake as quickly as possible for the Cantharus. 
Servant 2. There it is, give it him, aud may curses light on him, and may he never 
taste a sweeter cake. ; 
Servant 1. Give him another cake kneaded from asses’ dung. 
Servant 2. Well, there is another; but where is that which you just offered him ? 
Did he not eat it all? 
SERVANT 1. Yes, by Jupiter, he seized it and rolled it up into a ball with his feet and 
gulped it down whole. 
As arule the species belonging to this family are dark-coloured, but 
occasionally, as in Phaneus, they are very brilliantly coloured and 
strongly metallic, and thus upset the theories of those who have believed 
that the plant-feeding beetles are alone metallic and gaily coloured, 
whereas all the dung-feeders are inconspicuous. 
With the exception of the genus Aphodius, the family is very poorly 
represented in Europe, and is chiefly characteristic of warmer and 
tropical climates. 
The family has been classified in various ways by different authors ; 
Erichson divides it into two divisions, the Laparosticti and the Pleuro- 
sticti, but as the Melolonhini appear to be intermediate between 
these, I have followed the triple division adopted by Dr. Leconte and 
Dr. Horn in the Classification: of the Coleoptera of North America, 
p. 237. 
