1838. HOUSE— No. 72. 95 



Two species are common both to this country and to Europe. 

 One of them is CaUhlium. bojulum. It appears to inhabit pine wood 

 and timber, whence it is frequently met with on buildings in the 

 months of July and August. We are informed by Kirby and 

 Spence, that the larva sometimes does material injury to the wood- 

 work of houses in London, piercing in every direction the rafters of 

 the roofs, and, when arrived at its perfect state, even penetrating 

 through sheets of lead which happen to cover the place of its exit. 

 One piece of lead, only eiglit inches long and four broad, exhibited 

 twelve oval perforations made by these insects ; and lead was discov- 

 ered in the stomachs of the larvae. 



The other species is Callidium violaceum^ which Prof. Peck 

 said he believed to have been introduced into Europe in timber ex- 

 ported from this country. It is exceedingly injurious to the sapling 

 pines of jMaine. The perfect insect makes its appearance about the 

 last of May or the first of June. 



Nearly allied to the family of Capricorn beetles, is another which is 

 called Lepturiadce. The insects contained in it were included for- 

 merly in the genus Ceramhyx^ and many, if not all of their larvae, 

 are wood-eaters. In this family the antennae are of variable length, 

 and inserted between the eyes, which are not kidney-shaped, but are 

 nearly round ; the body is elongated, and more or less attenuated 

 behind ; the thorax is trapezoidal or contracted before, and resem- 

 bles a truncated cone ; the feet are like those of the Capricorn 

 beetles. 



The only genus in this family to be noticed is called Rhagium, in 

 which the antennae are short, the eyes large and prominent, and the 

 thorax has a large spine on each side. 



The bark of the Pinus rigida, or pitch-pine, is often extensively 

 loosened by larvae at work beneath it, so that it falls off in large 

 flakes, and the tree perishes. These larvae feed between the bark 

 and wood, and when they are about to become pups surround their 

 bodies with a ring of woody fibres, and in this little cavity pass 

 through their transformations. The perfect insect is fully formed 

 before winter, and eats a passage through the bark in the ensuing 

 spring. It is the Rhagium lineatum, of Olivier, which was thought 

 by Mr. Say to be the only American species of the genus. There 



