HANDBOOK OF BEETLES. 



eyes, the antennse, and the mouth. There are two large com- 

 pound eyes, one on each side of the head ; and two additional 

 simple eyes, or ocelli, are occasionally present, placed on the top of 

 the head. The antennse, or feelers, which are long, jointed organs, 

 are very important in classification, as they differ very much in 

 structure in different families. They may be filiform, or thread- 

 like ; moniliform, or bead-like ; pectinate, or feathery ; clavate, or 

 knobbed at the tip ; lamellate, or furnished with a series of broad 

 layers at the end opening out like a fan, etc. The mouth is 

 composed of a variety of organs, which cannot here be described 

 in detail; but we may mention the mandibles, crupper jaws, the 

 maxillae, or lower jaws, the labrum and labium, or upper and 

 lower lip respectively, and the mentum, or chin. To the maxillee 

 and the labium are attached pairs of small feelers, called the 

 maxillary and labial palpi respectively, and composed of only a 

 few joints. 



The thorax is composed of three segments soldered together, 

 called the prothorax, mesothorax, and metathorax respectively. 

 To the lower side of each is attached a pair of legs ; the elytra 

 are attached to the mesothorax, and the wings to the metathorax. 

 The legs are composed of the following principal parts : the 

 coxae, or hips ; the trochanters, or joints below the coxae ; the 

 femora, or thighs ; the tibiee, or shanks ; and the tarsi, or feet. 

 The tarsi consist of from three to five joints ; five is the normal 

 number, and the principal exceptions will be. specified. The 

 abdomen requires little special notice here, 

 is flattish above and convex below, 

 and covered by the wings and elytra 

 when these are closed. 



The Coleoptera are divided into a 

 great number of families and sub- 

 families, which are classed together 

 into larger groups, the first of which, 

 the Adephaga, contains the carnivorous 

 ground-beetles, and the water-beetles 

 of the section Hydrodephaga. The / 

 ground-beetles, or Geodephaga, have J 

 long slender filiform antennge, and 

 powerful jaws. They are divided into 

 two families, the Cicindelidce and 

 Ccirabidtz. 



The Cicindelidtz, or Tiger Beetles, A 

 are very active predaceous insects, with Tiger Beetle (Cicindela Cam* 

 large heads and eyes, and long slender fcstris). (Mag.) 



In most beetles it 



