198 BRITISH BEETLES. 



tennae, and the tibiae obsoletely spurred ; they, also, feed 

 on wood. One small species, H. vittatus (PL XII, Fig. 

 6), is very prettily variegated. 



It is, however, to the genus Scolytus that the un- 

 worthy distinction of destructive ability must be awarded; 

 one of them, the destroyer, S. destructor, being notorious 

 for the ravages it inflicts, both in its larval and perfect 

 state, upon elm -trees, especially in the London parks. 



Its larvae are white, fleshy, thick, curved, and footless ; 

 with wrinkled backs, hard heads, arid powerful mandi- 

 bles ; they feed in gangs ; and, although small, are so 

 numerous, that the fate of a tree is sealed when once 

 they obtain a lodgment. 



In the perfect insect, which is very elevated, stumpy, 

 and cylindrical, with the head bent downwards and in- 

 wards, the elytra are abruptly and obliquely truncate 

 behind ; and in some of the other species the abdomen 

 has a flat horizontal tooth on its second segment be- 

 neath. 



Xyloterus lineatus (PL XIII, Fig. 1), an elegantly 

 striped insect, with more pretensions to beauty than its 

 allies, is found (rarely) in Scotland : I have seen it with 

 its head and thorax protruding from its neat circular drill 

 in the solid wood of felled pines ; but it is oftener seen 

 than taken, owing to its habit of backing quickly to an 

 indefinite depth into its burrow, on the approach of the 

 bark-knife. In this species the antennae have a rounded 

 club, whilst in the other (domesticus) the club is pointed ; 

 in both, each of the eyes is widely divided, the funiculus 

 is four-jointed, and the club solid. 



The minute Hypothemenus eruditus (an insect Giles 

 Gingerbread, who "on learning fed") was discovered 

 by Mr. Westwood burrowing in the cover of an old 



