382 THE OIL BEETLE. 



TOWARDS the middle of spring and for the next month, may be found certain very hand- 

 some looking beetles of a deep, rich, red color, and remarkable for the beautifully-toothed 

 antennae. This insect is to be seen mostly upon flowers, and is popularly known by the name 

 of CARDINAL BEETLE. The scientific title is Pyrochrba rubens. This is the only European 

 genus of the family to which it belongs, and which is called Pyrochroidae, in allusion to the 

 typical genus. The word Pyrochroa, or Flame-colored, is given to this beetle on account of 

 its bright red exterior. 



A succeeding family, the Mordellidse, is chiefly remarkable for the curious fact that the 

 larvae of several of its genera, those of the RipipTiorus, for example, inhabit the nest of the 

 common wasp, undeterred by the poisoned stings of their involuntary hosts from taking pos- 

 session of their home. It seems that each specimen of this beetle monopolizes a single cell, 

 and entomologists are of opinion that the nurse wasps feed the intruders, together with the 

 rightful owners of the cells, not being able to distinguish between them. 



THE insect represented in the accompanying illustration is found in Europe, and is here 

 given as an example of the family Cantharidse, of which the BLISTER PLY, sometimes called 



BLISTERS, OK SPANISH FLIES, WITH LARVA. Lytta veslcatoria. 



the SPANISH PLY, is the typical species. In the illustration, both insects and the larva are 

 magnified. 



In the whole of this family, certain noxious elements are strongly developed, which, like 

 all other noxious things, can be transmuted and modified into benefits by those who know how 

 to use them. There is a certain substance secreted within these creatures technically called 

 Cantharidin, and looking, when separated from extraneous matjter, like minute crystalline 

 flakes of snowy whiteness. It can be dissolved in spirit, but not in water. 



Spain is famous for the multitudes of Blister Flies which are found within its limits, and 

 the whole of South-western Europe is prolific in this remarkable beetle. Whenever it may be 

 present, its vicinity is known by the powerful odor which it exhales, just as the musk and 

 tiger beetles may be detected by the nostril, though unperceived by the eye. On account of 

 its peculiar properties, it is not easily prepared, the dust which flies from the dried and drying 

 insects being light, searching, pungent, and inflammatory to the last degree. 



The larva or grub of this beetle is said to reside under ground, and to feed upon the roots 

 of vegetables. 



The Spanish Ply is a handsome insect, nearly an inch in length, and of a rich silken green, 

 with a gold gloss in certain lights. It is a very remarkable fact that fish will eat the Cantharis 

 without injury, and anglers have found, rather to their surprise, that if they could fix a Can- 

 tharis on their hook, it proved to be a very effectual bait for fish, the chub seeming particu- 

 larly fond of this very stimulating food. The common hedgehog has been known to eat these 

 insects with impunity. 



BELONGING to the same family, and very common in Europe, is an insect which popularly 

 goes by the appropriate name of OIL BEETLE, because, when handled, it has the property of 

 pouring a yellowish, oily fluid from the joints of its legs. 



The abdomen is extremely large in proportion to the rest of the body, and the short, 



