312 THE FLOEAL WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 



about six inches deep, and there leaves them, and by and by comes 

 from them a white or greyish-coloured grub, which feeds on the 

 roots of plants for years. It then goes still deeper into the eartb, 

 and changes into a pupa or chrysalis, and at last makes its way out 

 of its subterranean abode a perfect cockchafer. 



Another species of beetle, with which we are all so well 

 acquainted, is the little lady-bird, or cow-bird, as it is called in some 

 counties of England. There are several kinds which frequent our 

 gardens. One with two black spots on its round and scarlet wing- 

 cases ; another with five spots ; while some are black spotted or 

 blotched with red. It is a useful insect in gardens, because it feeds 

 on the aphides, or plant-lice, which destroy so many vegetables. 

 The largest of all our English beetles is the stag-beetle, which very 

 rarely pays us a visit, but who has such stag-like horns standing out 



from the front of its head, 

 that we are sure to know its 

 name. The burying-beetle 

 is, perhaps, the most curious 

 of its race in its habits. It 

 not only lives on the flesh of 

 dead animals, but after it has 

 feasted on them, the female 

 lays her eggs in the same 

 body, in order that the grubs 

 which come from them may 

 have the flesh of the creature 

 also for tbeir food. To secure 

 this the beetles bury the dead 

 body of the bird or mole which they have found, before they begin 

 their feast. First they dig around it a sort of trench, and then 

 gradually hollowing out the earth beneath it, pull the body down. 

 While the little sextons are invisible, the body may be seen gra- 

 dually sinking down into its grave. 



Very nearly related to beetles is the earwig, which has also its 

 two sets of wings, with the gauzy pair folded up like fans under the 

 sheath-wings. The grub and chrysalis of the earwig is very like 

 the perfect insect, only without wings and wing-cases. It has very 

 strong horny mandibles or jaws, and we know well the curious pair 

 of pincers it carries about at the end of his body, as if for defence. 

 If we want to find a number of earwigs, we must look for them in 

 some moist place, such as under a large stone or some decayed straw, 

 and yet, while it will live on animal food, it will eat the leaves and 

 petals of flowers. 



Any injury, however, which earwigs do in a garden is made 

 amends for by their eating in their turn many mischievous insects. 

 It has been a very mistaken notion that earwigs were apt to get 

 into people's ears, and the notion has perhaps originated from the 

 name of the creature, and not the name from the practice of so 

 doing. The word earwig comes, in fact, from ear, and the Saxon 

 word weiga, a worm. In German it is called Ohrwurm ; and both 

 names have probably come from the shape of its beautiful gauzy 



FEMAXE BUSYING BEETLE. 



