92 



Cmjfttrg at Natural 



furrowed ; and the males have a little tooth 

 on the under-side of the shanks of the inter- 

 mediate legs. They measure from seven to 

 nine tenths of an inch. These beetles may 

 be found sunning themselves upon the limbs 

 of cherry and peach trees during the months 

 of June, July, and August. 



Bqprettit dentipes, so named from the den- 

 ticulation on the under-side of the thick fore 

 legs, inhabits the trunks of oak-trees. It 

 completes its transformations and comes out 

 of the trees between the end of May and 

 the 1st of July. It is oblong-oval and flat- 

 tened, of a bronzed brownish or purplish 

 black colour above, copper-coloured beneath, 

 and rough like shagreen with numerous 

 punctures ; on each wing- cover there are 

 three irregular smooth elevated lines, which 

 are divided and interrupted by large thickly 

 punctured impressed spots, two of which are 

 oblique ; the tips are rounded. Length 

 rather more than half an tnch. 



Euprestis Harrisii is a small and broad 

 beetle, of an entirely brilliant blue-green 

 colour, except the sides of the thorax, and 

 the thighs, which, in the male, are copper- 

 coloured : it measures little more than three 

 tenths of an inch in length. The larvse in- 

 habit the small limbs of the white pine, and 

 young sapling trees of the same kind. 



Buprestis Mariana, a species fonnd in the 

 south parts of Europe, is placed along with 

 a closely allied one from America, and two 

 or three other species in the genus Cfial- 



BOPRESTI9 MARIANA.. 



Dr. W. Harris, of Massachusetts, speaking 

 of the great difficulty there is in discovering 

 and dislodging the various grubs of tree-bor- 

 ing beetles, observes: "When trees are found 

 to be very much infested by them, and are 

 going to decay in consequence of the ravages 

 of these borers, it will be better to cut them 

 down and burn them immediately, than to 

 suffer them to stand until the borers have 

 completed their transformations and made 

 their escape." It is from Dr. Harris's able 

 work on the Insects of Massachusetts that 

 we have derived much of the information in 

 this article. 



BURBOT. (Gadus lota.) A fish be- 

 longing to the order Malacopterygii ; very 

 highly esteemed for its superior delicacy, 

 and bearing some resemblance to the eel in 

 its body, except that it is shorter and thicker. 

 The head is broad and flat ; the eyes small 

 and lateral ; the mouth wide ; the jaws 



armed with several rows of sharp teeth ; the 

 lower jaw furnished with a beard of con- 

 siderable length, and two small cirri seated 

 on the top of the nose. The colour of the 

 Burbot varies ; some being dusky, and others 

 of a dull green, spotted with black, and 

 often with yellow : the belly in some is 

 white ; and the skin is remarkably smooth 



BURBOT. (OAD08 LOTA.) 



and slippery. The first dorsal fin is short, 

 and the second is placed immediately behind 

 it, extending almost to the tail ; the vent is 

 situated near the centre of the belly ; the 

 anal fin reaches almost to the tail ; and the 

 tail is rather short and rounded. The Bur- 

 bot is found in several of the English rivers 

 and lakes of the northern countries ; but it is 

 said to arrive at its greatest perfection in the 

 lake of Geneva, where it sometimes weighs 

 six pounds, though in this country it seldom 

 exceeds two or three. 



BURSATELLA. A genus of marine 

 Mollusca, without shells, found in the Indian 

 seas. 



BUSTARDS. (Otis; Otidce.) A genus and 

 family of Cursorial Birds, distinguished for 

 their powers of running and their shyness : 

 some of the Asiatic species, such as the 

 Florican, are much sought for by the Indian 

 sportsman as a delicacy for the table. We 

 here mean to confine our attention to the 

 two species indigenous to the British Islands, 

 although now both are very rare birds. 



The GREAT BUSTARD (Otis tarda) is 

 the largest of European laud birds, the 

 male being about four feet long, and mea- 

 suring nine feet from tip to tip of the wings 

 when extended, while its weight is on an 

 average twenty-five pounds. The head 

 and neck are ash-coloured, and there is a 

 tuft of feathers about five inches long on 

 each side of the lower mandible. The back 

 is transversely barred with black and bright 

 ferruginous colours, and the primaries are 

 black. The tail consists of twenty feathers, 

 broadly barred with red and black ; and the 

 legs are naked, dusky, and without a hind 

 toe. The female is not much more than 

 half the size of the male, and has the crown 

 of the head of a deep orange colour, traversed 

 by red lines ; the remainder of the head is 

 brown ; her colours are not so bright as the 

 male, and she has no tuft on each side of the 

 head. There is likewise another very essen- 

 tial difference between the male and the 

 female ; the former being furnished with a 

 sack or pouch, situated in the fore part of 

 the neck, and capable of containing nearly 

 two quarts : the entrance to it is immediately 

 under the tongue. This singular reservoir 

 the bird is supposed to fill with water, as a 

 supply in the midst of those dreary plains 

 where it is accustomed to wander ; it is also 



