TARENTULA TELQPE A. 



735 



tcrs of the countries in which their bones are found 

 at the time when the animals were alive, are no 

 known. The skeletons of some of them have beei 

 found in a much more perfect state than those o 

 most extinct animals, the Megatherium in particular 

 and its remains are such as to show that it had been 

 by far the largest and heaviest land animal of whicl 

 we have any knowledge. The skeleton of an elephant 

 seems weak and feeble beside it ; and there is more 

 matter in some of its single bones than in all the 

 bones of the human body. 



TARENTULA (Fabricius, Latreille). In the 

 commencement of the article TARANTULA, wehave said 

 that this name, although strictly applicable to the 

 Tarantula of Tarentum, had been employed for other 

 large species of arachnidous animals. And Brown 

 having misapplied it in his History of Jamaica to the 

 Linnaean Phalangiwn reniforme, belonging to the 

 modern genus Phrynus of Olivier ; Fabricius, un- 

 aware of the establishment of the latter genus, em- 

 ployed the name Tarantula for the species of Phrymt-s 

 and Thelyphonus (Latreille, see PHRYNUS) , which 

 name, Tarcntiila, Latreille has injudiciously retained 

 in the Regne A'nimal ; although for the two sub- 

 genera he preserved the names Phrynus and The- 

 li/phoniis. 



TARUS (Clairville; CYMINDIS, Latreille). A 

 genus of coleopterous insects, belonging to the family 

 Carabldas, and subfamily Brachinides, of moderate 

 size and depressed form ; the thorax is cordate trun- 

 cate ; the body oblong ; the maxillary palpi filiform ; 

 and the labial terminated by a large hatchet-shaped 

 joint, at least in the males ; the head is not narrowed 

 behind into a neck, and the tarsi are not dilated. The 

 type of the genus is the Caralms lutmcralis (Marsham), 

 pitchy black, with the humeral angles of the elytra 

 reddish. The species are of rare occurrence, and 

 are found beneath stones. Stephens describes eight 

 as inhabitants of Britain. 



TAXUS (Linnaeus). A genus of three species 

 and several varieties of evergreen trees, belonging to 

 the natural order Conifcrcs. This is the well-known 

 yew, a native of Britain, remarkable for its longevity, 

 the toughness of its young branches, and durability of 

 its timber. It is moreover remarkable for its poisonous 

 effects on cattle that eat the twigs, especially after 

 these have been a little dried : cattle bred where 

 yew-trees grow, are never hurt by browsing it green. 

 The tree yields seeds plentifully, and by which seed- 

 lings are raised. 



TECOMA (Jus*ieu). A fine ornamental genus of 

 evergreen and deciduous shrubs and climbers, natives 

 chiefly of North and South America. The flowers 

 are didynamous, and the genus belongs to B/gno- 

 niacece. Tecoma Capemh, and Grandjflora, are fa- 

 vourite greenhouse climbers, and easily propagated 

 by cuttings. 



TECTON A (Linnaeus). A genus of a single spe- 

 cies, belonging to Verbcnaccee. It is one of the 

 largest timber trees of India, and rivalling the British 

 oak for bulk as well as durability. It is propagated 

 by: cuttings in stoves. 



TELEPHIUM (Linnfcus). A genus of only 

 one species as yet described, bearing pentandrous 

 flowers, and belonging to Pmlulacccc. This is the 

 Orpine of English authors (though the Scdum tclc- 

 phiitm is the true Orpine of English fields), and is 

 introduced into the flower garden for embellishing 

 rock-work. 



NAT. HIST. VOL. III. 



TELEPHORID/E (Leach). A family of cole- 

 opterous insects, belonging to the section Pentamera, 

 and subsection Serricornes, and nearly related to the 

 family of the glow-worms (LAMPYRID/E, which see), 

 from which they are distinguished by having the 

 body in both sexes always furnished with wings, and 

 by the maxillary palpi being scarcely longer than the 

 labial ; the body is long and rather narrow, and of a 

 soft consistence ; the antennae are moderately long 

 and slender. 



By Linnaeus, the name of the blister-fly (Cantharis), 

 was inappropriately applied to these insects, which 

 are still described under that name by many sys- 

 tematic writers ; whilst by others they are called 

 Telephone, which name was given to them by Scha- 

 effer, and which they ought to retain. By Geoffrey 

 they were constituted into the genus Cicindcla. They 

 make their appearance in the early summer months, 

 abounding in our gardens and hedges, and are well 

 known to children under the name of soldiers and 

 sailors, probably on account of their different colours, 

 red, buff, and blackish-blue, being their chief hues. 

 Their flight is slow and heavy. The larvae are black, 

 and of a velvety appearance, with the legs, antennae, 

 and palpi reddish; they are rather long, depressed, 

 and of a soft consistence ; the head is scaly, and the 

 mandibles are very robust; beneath the terminal seg- 

 ment of the body there is a fleshy retractile appen- 

 dage which the insect employs whilst in motion as a 

 seventh leg. They reside in moist earth, and feed 

 upon other insects. In the perfect state also they 

 are insectivorous. 



It has been recorded, that in certain seasons during 

 winter, a great extent of the snow with which the 

 ground was at that time covered in various parts of 

 Sweden, swarmed with the larvae of these insects, as 

 well as with other living insects ; and it has been 

 supposed that these creatures had been raised and 

 transported by sudden gusts of wind during the vio- 

 lent tempests which overthrew many of the large 

 trees, especially of the fir tribe, in those countries. 

 Such has been regarded as the origin of what has 

 been called " showers of insects." The species dis- 

 covered in such situations, and occasionally even 

 upon the frozen lakes of the country, are probably 

 those which make their appearance early in the year. 

 The name of the genus Tclephonis is derived from 

 the Greek, and is given to these insects in allu- 

 ion to their habits of killing and devouring other 

 insects. 



The genera are Tclephonis, Si/is, and Malth'mua. 

 In the first the elytra are of the ordinary size, with 

 the margins of the thorax entire. The second differs in 

 iiaving the posterior angles of the thorax notched ; and 

 he last has the elytra abbreviated. The typical genus 

 Telephorus is very extensive, there being nearly forty 

 British species. The type is the Cant/tans rusticus of 

 Linnaeus. The Cantharus lividus, nifus, fiiscus, ob- 

 scunts, of Linnojus, are also common species. 



TELLURIUM, a mineral usually found combined 

 with gold and other metals of a less valuable cha- 

 racter. In the native state it is blended with iron 

 jnd gold, the latter being in very small quantities. 

 The ores of Tellurium are only found in the mines of 

 Transylvania and in Siberia. " Dr. Clarke has given 

 a long account of the Tellurium mines in the fourth 

 volume of liis Travels. 



TELOPEA (Dr. II. Brown). A genus of a single 

 species, and one of the most magnificent flowering 

 DDD 



