HABITS OF THE PHANCEUS. 121 



quarters, the thickness of the body is an inch, and the horn of 

 the head is one inch and a third in length. 



The colouring of this Beetle is singularly beautiful, and not 

 very easy to describe. The head and greater part of the horn 

 are deep purple, shot with green, or vice versa, just as the light 

 happens to fall on it; the tip of the horn being black. The 

 square, flat plate at the hinder portion of the thorax is deep 

 purple, and is thickly and boldly punctured. The strangely 

 curved elytra are rich violet in colour, are boldly ridged, and 

 between the ridges their surface is deeply granulated. The eyes 

 are divided like those of the Deltochilum. 



There are many species of this genus, all exceedingly variable 

 both in colour and size. Some are quite black, and some 

 blue, but the prevailing hue is green with a golden gloss. The 

 generic name of Phanceus, or " conspicuous," is given to them on 

 account of their beautiful colouring and strange form. Their 

 habits are much the same as those of the preceding genus. 

 Mr. "Westwood mentions that one species, Phanceus melon, is 

 found under dead fish, and yet smells strongly of musk ; and 

 that two other species, Phanceus nigro-violaceus and sulcatus, 

 dig holes under dead snakes and bury them in a few hours. 



The next family, the Geotrupidos, are so similar to our own 

 familiar British species that I have only selected one species by 

 way of example ; namely, Bolbocerus Rcichei, an insect which is 

 spread over the greater part of Australasia. 



It is a thick-bodied, sturdily built Beetle, and though not 

 large, measuring not quite an inch 



in length, is one of the largest of -.^^J^Pli^»^y\ 



the genus to which it belongs. Its ^^^^^teltl'ull 

 colour is a very sinning yellowish ^^^^Sfc^' 

 brown, so that the Beetle looks very ^&~^zi«Jr,\ \v' 

 much as if it were immature and had 



not been exposed to the light long FlG ' "££%££***• 

 enough to have assumed its deeper 

 colouring. The elytra are covered with parallel punctured striae. 



The most conspicuous feature in this insect is the enormous 

 horn which rises peipendicularly from the head of the male, 

 and which gives to it, when viewed from the front, much of the 

 air of a rhinoceros. The length of the horn is rather more than 



