B U P R E S T I D YE. 



645 



anil corresponding with the Linna'an genus Buprestis, 

 of which upwards of a thousand species are known in 

 Collections. 



The two Linmean genera, Bupreslls and Elater, 

 are nearly related to each other, and compose a divi- 

 sion termed Stcnwxi, from having the prostcrnum 

 terminated in an acute sj)ine, and the body is of a 

 firm consistence, with the head immersed to the eyes 

 iu the prothoracic cavity. In the latter of these two 

 groups, this prosternal spine becomes of essential ser- 

 vice to the insect, being employed, in conjunction 

 with a corresponding cavity in the front of the meso- 

 sU'rmmi, to effect those singular leaps which have 

 given to the Elatcmhu the common name of Spring 

 Jacks. The Buprestidu?, on the contrary, are desti- 

 tute of this power, being unable to leap ; since, 

 although the prosternum is produced behind into a 

 spine, there is no corresponding cavity for its recep- 

 tion as in the former. The latter family is further 

 distinguished from the Elateridre by having the jaws 

 short, strong, and entire at the tip, and the terminal 

 joint of the maxillary palpi either nearly cylindric or 

 oval. The body of these insects is generally oblong, 

 or oblong oval, and narrowed behind ; and the penul- 

 timate joint of the tarsi is bilobed. 



These insects are, for the most part, inhabitants of 

 tropical climates, where the splendour of their me- 

 tallic colouring corresponds with the richness of the 

 flowers and the brilliancy of the butterflies. Very 

 few species are found even in the central portion of 

 Europe, and in England scarcely more than half a 

 dozen can be considered as really indigenous. They 

 are found upon trees, creeping but slowly, although 

 they ily well in the hottest sunshine, taking flight 

 with great facility ; when in danger they have no 

 other means of escaping from their adversaries, than 

 to fold their antenna? and legs along the body, and 

 drop from the branches upon which they ordinarily 

 rest, into the grass. We believe no authentic account 

 has hitherto been published of the economy of these 

 insects in the larva state, considering that the state- 

 ment of Madame Merian relative to the transformations 

 of U. grundls, an inhabitant of Surinam, to be very 

 Unsatisfactory. It is probable, however, that they 

 reside in timber in their early styles, since the per- 

 fect insects are often found in timber yards and other 

 places where quantities of wood have been placed. 

 Another circumstance which corroborates the opinion 

 that the larva,- feed in timber, is the great length of 

 time which some of them are recorded to have passed 

 previous to assuming the perfect state, and which is 

 known to be the case with other xylophagous insects, 

 as the Prionida;, &c. ; thus one of the most remarkable 

 instances of insect longevity is recorded in the tenth 

 volume of the Linnaeari Transactions, in which it is 

 stated by Mr. Marsham, that a Mr. Montague, on 

 going to his desk in the Office of Works at Guildhall, 

 London, observed an insect which had been seen by 

 his brother in the early part of the day, endeavouring 

 to extricate itself from the wood which formed part 

 of the desk ; he carefully released it from the cell, 

 and it proved to be the beautiful B. splendent of 

 Fabricius, full of strength and vigour. The desk had 

 been fixed in the office twenty-two years before, and 

 was made of fir wood imported from the Baltic. 

 That the insect existed in the wood before the desk 

 was made, was proved by the fact, that the channel 

 formed by the insect had been then transversely cut. 



These insects have been designated Richards by. 



Geoffrey, a name originally given to the Jay, incon- 

 sequence of the facility with which that bird was 

 taught to pronounce the word ; and the French 

 Entomologist, from a fanciful analogy between this 

 group of birds and insects, gave to 'the latter the 

 same name as the former, because, says he, " les 

 pays etrangers en fournissent de trcs-grandes et tres- 

 brillantes especes; c'est ce qui nous a porte a dormer 

 le riom de Richard a cct insecte." In fact, nothing 

 can exceed the brilliancy of colour of some of the 

 species, some of which have a general coppery tint, 

 whilst others present the beautiful contrast of fine 

 yellow or flame-coloured spots or lines, oh a polished 

 blue, green, or bronzed surface, and others exhibit 

 the appearance of burnished gold, inlaid on emerald 

 or ebonj\ In fine, all that is rich and brilliant in 

 colours may be observed in the decoration of these 

 insects. The females have a coriaceous appendage 

 at the posterior part of the abdomen, composed of 

 three pieces ; this is probably the oviduct with which 

 they deposit their eggs in crevices of old wood and 

 trees. Their existence in their perfect state appears 

 to be short, and is devoted almost exclusively to the 

 great object of continuing the race. 



The systematic name of these insects has likewise 

 been involved in some confusion. By Linnaeus, whose 

 nomenclature has been adopted by all entomologists, 

 they were inappropriately termed buprestis. This 

 name, as well as the synonymous one of Vulprestis, 

 was employed by the Roman naturalists, and that of 

 Voupriiti by the Greeks, to designate a noxious insect, 

 which possessed such irritating powers when taken 

 internally, that cattle, which accidentally swallowed 

 them when feeding upon grass, died of inflammation 

 in a short time, the insect acting as poison to them. 

 Indeed so powerful were the effects of the application 

 of this animal, that we find that legislative enactments 

 were passed respecting it ; the Cornelian law punish- 

 ing with death those who should with malice pre- 

 pense administer either it or the insect called Pilhyo- 

 campa, having similar powers : " Qui buprestem vel 

 pityocampem, tanti facinoris conscii, ant mortiferi quid 

 veneni ad necem accelerandam dedcrit, judicio capital! 

 et paena legis Corneliie afficiator." According to 

 Pliny, this insect was rare in Italy, and resembled a 

 scarabaeus with long legs. Now this insect, it would 

 seem, was regarded by Linnaeus as one of those to 

 which he gave the name of buprestis ; but these, as 

 Messrs. Kirby and Spence observe, being timber 

 insects, are not very likely to be swallowed by cattle 

 with their food. Mouft'et, on the other hand, followed 

 by Geoffrey, regarded the ancient buprestis as a 

 species of ground beetles, Carabus, giving to the Lin- 

 ntean buprestis the name of Cncujus; the former 

 insects, however, seldom or never frequent pastures. 

 The larger species of carabi are rare in the south of 

 Europe, and even did they exist there, they are found 

 upon the ground under stones, and are sufficiently 

 agile to escape from the murderous jaws of the cattle. 

 Moreover, from several passages in the old writers, 

 it is evident that these buprestis were vesicatory beetles ; 

 and M. Latreille, in an extended memoir which he 

 has published on this subject, in the " Mcmoires du 

 Museum," has endeavoured to prove that they are 

 referrible to the modern genus Mcloc. The same 

 author has more recently stated that Dr. Boisduval has 

 employed the meloes as vesicants, and has ascertained 

 that they possess greater energy than the common 

 cantharides of the shops. Belon. nevertheless, in his 



