OUR BEETLE FRIENDS 227 



entrance, so that its flat broad head practically 

 forms a false floor or lid. Beneath this in- 

 genious trap the voracious larva waits, ready 

 to seize and drag down any unsuspecting insect 

 that may incautiously set foot upon the treacher- 

 ous entrance to the trap. 



There is a rare little beetle to be met with in 

 France, living upon dried animal matter and 

 wood, which should be of peculiar interest to 

 every student of insect life, and around which 

 hangs the true halo of romance, for it saved the 

 life of one of the greatest entomologists of 

 France. Its name alone, of Necrobia (from the 

 Greek VCK/DOC and /3twe), is suggestive, for it means 

 "life in death." Here is the story as given by 

 M. Louis Figuier, in his " Insect World." "Before 

 1792, Latreille was known only from some 

 memoirs which he had published on insects. He 

 was then priest at Brives-la-Gaillarde, and was 

 arrested with the cures of Limousin, who had 

 not taken the oath. These unfortunates were 

 then taken to Bordeaux in carts to be trans- 

 ported to Guyana. Arrived at Bordeaux in the 

 month of June, they were incarcerated in the 

 prison of the Grand Seminaire till a ship should 

 be ready to take them on board. In the mean- 

 while, the Qth Thermidor arrived, and caused the 

 execution of the sentence which condemned the 

 priests who had not taken the oath to transpor- 

 tation to be for a while suspended. However, 

 the prisons emptied themselves but slowly, and 

 those who had been condemned had none the 

 less to go into exile, only their transportation 

 had been put off till the spring. Latreille 



