188 NATURAL HISTORY OP 



lobe, which is dilated considerably at the tip, and 

 bent inwards. The terminal joint of the labial pal- 

 pi is longer than the others, and nearly cylindric, 

 but slightly thickened in the middle. The external 

 margin of the elytra is straight without any sinuosity, 

 a character which distinguishes the true Ateuchi from 

 the species that constitute the genus Gymnopleurus. 

 There is no perceptible scutellum, nor any opening 

 at the base of the sutural line indicating its place. 

 The four hinder legs are slender, elongate, and 

 fringed with long hairs ; the tibiae are scarcely thick- 

 ened at the tip, where they are truncated obliquely, 

 and armed with a strong acute spine. The dilated 

 anterior part of the head is divided into six teeth, 

 and an elevated process of the cheek (strictly the 

 canthus) runs nearly across the eye, dividing the 

 upper portion from the lower. 



The genus, as above defined, contains about 

 twenty-six species. They are confined to the old 

 world, in which however they have an extensive 

 range of distribution. 



ATEUCHUS SACER. SACRED EGYPTIAN 

 BEETLE. 



PLATE X. FIG. 1. 



Scarabseus sacer, Linn. Fabricws O/iuier, Entom. pi. 8, 

 fig. 59, a, 6* 



The colour is entirely black, and the surface ra- 



