224 BRITISH BEETLES. 



bodies. Their head is hidden benearth the thorax, which 

 is semicircular, and overlaps the elytra ; the parts of the 

 mouth are feeble, situated at the under-side of the head, 

 and received at rest into a projection of the prosternum ; 

 the antennse straight, short, and slightly thickened to- 

 wards the apex, but with the last joint pointed ; and the 

 legs contractile, projecting slightly beyond the elytra, with 

 simple unspurred tibiae, and short broad tarsi, of which 

 the third joint is deeply bilobed, and encloses the apical 

 joint. 



They are found during the summer months on thistles, 

 wild mint, etc. ; and, on account of their extremely 

 quiescent nature, slightly convex upper surface, and flat 

 under-side, resemble certain Cocci rather more than 

 beetles. Our species are mostly bright green (not 

 metallic) when alive, fading after death to a much 

 duller colour : many of them are prettily variegated 

 with brown speckles or red stains (Cassida sanguino- 

 lenta, Plate XV, Fig. 3) ; and one, C. vittata, found very 

 rarely, I believe on ragwort, is banded alternately 

 with deep black and bright red. 



A few, found chiefly on the sea-coast, are most beauti- 

 fully and broadly striped on each wing-case with gold; but 

 this appearance, requiring a certain amount of moisture, 

 fades with the life of the creature. It has been stated 

 that glycerine, applied under the elytra, will not only 

 retain the lustre in fresh examples, but renew it in old 

 ones : I have, however, tried this plan without success. 

 Varnishing the outside is of no avail, as it is from the 

 inside that the colour proceeds. 



One of these adorned insects, C. oblong a, occurs plen- 

 tifully on the south coast, on Salicornia, in tufts of 

 grass, etc. Its lovely green ground-colour is relieved 



