392 



THE LIFE OF AN INSECT. 



Kangaroo Beetle. 



haps, the most extraordinary instance of this in 

 the whole insect world is, the foreign insect, 

 which has been called the Kangaroo beetle. 



The cut represents 

 faithfully this most 

 wonderful crea- 

 ture; and we could 

 almost fancy, as 

 we looked at it, 

 that by some acci- 

 dent the front 



pair of legS and 



the head had been twisted round, leaving the 

 hind legs and part of the body turned in the oppo- 

 site direction. It need scarcely be added, that 

 the origin of this insect's curious title was derived 

 from the resemblance borne by its hind legs to 

 those of the animal whose name it bears. In 

 some insects the legs fold upon each other, and are 

 packed into a very small compass: this is par- 

 ticularly the case in a species of wood-louse, which 

 roll themselves up into balls precisely resembling 

 beads or pills, as may be imagined from the fol- 

 lowing anecdote. A servant maid of the great 

 Swammerdam, while walking in the garden one 



