COLEOPTEROUS INSECTS 225 



entirely of a brownish -black colour, the surface 

 shining and thickly covered with small punctures. 

 The female is considerably less, the mandibles are 

 quite short, and the head is proportionally much 

 smaller. 



" I believe it has been supposed by several wri- 

 ters," says Mr Waterhouse, " that the mandibles 

 of the stag-beetle are designed for perforating the 

 bark of trees, and thus causing the sap to flow, on 

 which the insect is said to feed ; but I do not re- 

 collect ever seeing this confirmed on positive au- 

 thority. During the past summer I kept a stag- 

 beetle alive for several weeks : I allowed him to 

 bite my finger with his mandibles, which he did 

 with great strength and perseverance for some se- 

 conds ; and immediately, on relaxing his hold, ap- 

 plied alternately one of his antennae, and the galea 

 of his maxillae, to the indentation, as if to ascertain 

 whether any moisture was flowing from the wound. 

 The stag-beetle has a small patch of golden coloured 

 hair near the base of the fore leg, the use of which, 

 I believe, has never been pointed out ; it is evi- 

 dently for the purpose of cleaning the antennae, 

 which, after touching saccharine fluids, become 

 sticky. The insect does this in the most adroit 

 manner, bending back the antenna and placing it 

 beneath the leg, and then drawing it out slowly. 

 The specimen which I had became after a time 

 tame and playful, sometimes amusing himself by 

 tossing about a ball of cotton with his horns. He 

 p 



