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THE RIVER-SIDE NATURALIST. 



Gilbert White says : 



"While deepening shades obscure the fall of day 

 To yonder bench, leaf-shelter'd, let us stray, 

 Till blending objects fail the swimming sight, 

 And all the fading landscape sinks in night, 

 To hear the drowsy dorr come brushing by 

 With buzzing wing, or the shrill cricket cry." 



This beetle is a blackish-blue in colour, with a beauti- 

 ful blue metallic lustre on its under surface, about three- 

 quarters of an inch in length ; 

 being a carrion eater, it is 

 anything but pleasant to the 

 olfactory organs. 



There are between three 

 and four thousand British 

 species of beetles, and as yet 

 only a few are recognised as 

 lures for trout. Ronalds only 

 gives three ; but there must 

 be many which fall from the 

 branches of trees and shrubs 

 overhanging the water, or 

 from the stems of aquatic plants, or blown on to the surface 

 by the wind, which are taken by all kinds of fish. 



The word Coleoptera is derived from two Greek words 

 KO\O?, a sheath, and Trrepov, a wing ; and this order is 

 more especially distinguished by having the wings enclosed 

 in a pair of scaly cases, called elytra, the wings themselves 

 being membranous in character, and carefully folded under 

 their horny cases. 



The PEACOCK-FLY of Ronalds is the Lathobrium quad- 

 ratum ; family, Staphylinidce. Another of 

 this family, Oxiporous Rufus red, with 

 the head and elytra black, frequenting 

 brambles and whitethorn bushes must be 

 often blown on to the water. This appears 

 to us to be the natural simile of the Red 

 Tag, so very killing in some waters, par- 

 ticularly for grayling. 



THE DOR-BEETLE. 



OXIPOROUS RUFUS. 



(The line shows the 

 natural size). 



