80 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



templation of the structure of the most gigan tic 

 animals." 



If superiority in certain qualities must be conced- 

 ed to some other tribes of insects, the Coleoptera 

 certainly surpass them all, as well as the higher 

 races of animals, in variety of form and singularity 

 of structure. Among butterflies, the Hymenoptera, 

 and two-winged flies, nearly as great a uniformity of 

 outline prevails as in the case of birds and serpents. 

 But there appears to be no general type of form ac- 

 cording to which beetles have been modelled. They 

 differ as widely among themselves in outward appear- 

 ance, as separate classes of other animated beings 

 do from each other. Even the great deep, which has 

 ever been regarded as the fertile mother of all mons- 

 trous and all prodigious things, seldom produces an 

 u odd fish" equal in eccentricity to some species of 

 beetles. If we are less struck with the strange pro- 

 portion of their parts, than with any unusual figure 

 among the larger animals, it is on account of their 

 small size, which is generally too inconsiderable to 

 arrest our attention, and leads us to consider them 

 in a great measure abstractedly from the idea of 

 physical power with which we are accustomed to re- 

 gard animated beings of large dimensions. But for 

 this circumstance, they would excite the astonishment 

 of the most careless observer, and lead us to fear lest 

 they should realize the anticipations of the poet, — 



Their shape would make them, had they bulk, and size, 

 More hideous foes than fancy can devise ; 



