2 ON ENTOMOLOGY. 



COLEOPTERA being the first order of insects and most numerous, 

 I shall proceed to describe some of those belonging to this order : In 

 this country alone, they amount by the latest and most accurate census 

 to upwards of 3600, thus forming nearly a third part of our insect 

 population ; this is considerably more than double the number of flower- 

 ing plants, indigenous to Britain, and greatly exceeds the whole 

 amount of our native vertebrate animals. When compared with the two 

 other orders, that are next to it in extent in this country, it will be 

 found that the Coleoptera are nearly one half more numerous than the 

 Lepidoptera, and that they stand much in relation to the Diptera, or two 

 winged flies. And the whole amount of insects is about 30,000, that 

 is 10,000 above the estimate formed by Ray, nearly a century and a 

 half ago. The largest Coleopterous insects inhabiting Britain, are the 

 Hydrous Piceus and the Stag Beetle, (Lucanus Cervus.) The latter is 

 nearly two inches in length including the mandibles, and the former is 

 not much short of the same dimensions, besides being of considerably 

 greater breadth. These may be considered the giants of this order of 

 insects, occupying one extremity of the scale. At the opposite ex- 

 tremity may be placed some species of the genera, Trichopteryx, Atomaria, 

 and Agatkidium, which are so minute as not to be larger than a full stop. 

 The STAG BEETLE occurs in considerable plenty, in several of 

 the southern counties, but has not been observed in the north of En- 

 gland, nor in Scotland. The larva is considered to be the Cossus of the 

 ancient Romans, which is described as a white worm living in the interior 

 of oak trees, and which was much coveted as a delicious food by these 

 refined epicures. The male is about two inches in length, including the 

 mandibles ; it is entirely of a brownish black colour, the surface shining, 

 and thickly covered with small punctures. The female is considerably 

 less, the mandibles are quite short, and the head is proportionally much 

 smaller ; Mr. Waterhouse relates that he kept a Stag Beetle alive for 

 some weeks, he says, I allowed him to bite my finger with his mandibles, 

 which he did with great strength, and perseverance for some seconds, 

 and immediately on relaxing his hold, he applied alternately one of his 

 antennae to the indentation, as if to ascertain whether any moisture was 

 flowing from the wound. The specimen which I had, became after a 

 time tame and playful, sometimes amusing himself by tossing about a 

 ball of cotton with his horns ; he was very fond of sugar moistened and 

 the juice of raspberries. 



The most curious and interesting genius, which the order Coleoptera 

 contains, is the NECROPHORUS or Burying Beetle. The females 

 deposit their eggs in the decaying carcasses of moles, mice, and other 

 small animals, which they previously bury for this purpose. To 

 effect this operation, seemingly so disproportionate to their size and 

 strength, two or three beetles generally unite their labours, and remove 

 the earth from beneath the dead body, which gradually sinks into the exca- 

 vation j during this process they may be seen dragging at the object from 



