77 



mi the hind leg, is blunt. There are 

 no claws on them, but all the joints are 

 beset with tender hairs, as is the whole 

 body here and there. The head is pretty 

 large and flat, rounded ; its colour, yel- 

 lowish-brown and shining, it has strong 

 brown blunt palpa or feelers obtusely den- 

 tated, between them a half round max- 

 illa; with these instruments, the worm 

 gnaws the roots of plants and sucks the 

 nourishment out. 



There are no eyes to be seen ; but be- 

 hind the palpa, theie is on each side a 

 yellowish-brown tentaculum with five 

 joints. I could never find out w^hich are 

 the males or the females, though in the 

 perfect chafer the difference is very con- 

 spicuous. They hardly creep out of the 

 ground, and when dug out, endeavour to 

 hide themselves again directly. JBecause 

 birds are very eager after them, and they 

 do not like the light of the sun. 



The worm renews its skin at least 

 once a year, and for this, it makes a spa- 

 cious hole in the ground, in which it de- 

 posits the old skin ; this hole is round 

 E 3 



