392 



of Datura! 



generally dilated and toothed ; by the males 

 of many species having singular horns affixed 

 to the head and thorax ; and by the great 

 size of the mandibles. The larvae are large 

 fleshy grubs, having the extremity of the 



body curved towards the breast, so that it 

 is not able to creep upon a flat surface, but 

 compelled to lie on its side. Both in their 

 larva and perfect states these insects are 

 herbivorous, their habits, however, varying 

 in the different families, according to their 

 several structures. The family is of mode- 

 rate extent, and but sparingly scattered over 

 the globe. Amongst the exotic genera, the 

 beautiful Australian genus Lamprima is dis- 

 tinguished by its splendid metallic colouring, 

 the remarkable porrected and villose man- 

 dibles, and the large plate which arms the 

 extremity of the anterior tibiae of the males. 

 Another most remarkable genus is Chia- 

 sognathus, in which the mandibles are longer 

 than the body, rather slender, bent down 

 towards the tip, where they are suddenly re- 

 flexed ; they are also furnished on the under 

 side at the base with a long horn : the colours 

 of this genus are exceedingly splendid and 

 metallic. 



The beetles of this family fly abroad during 

 the night, and frequently enter houses at 

 that time, somewhat to 'the alarm of the oc- 

 cupants ; but they are not venomous, and 

 never attempt to bite without provocation. 

 They pass the day on the trunks of trees, 

 and live upon the sap, for procuring which 

 the brushes of their jaws and lip seem to be 

 designed. They are said also occasionally 

 to bite and seize caterpillars and other soft- 

 bodied insects, for the purpose of sucking out 

 their juices. They lay their eggs in crevices 

 of the bark of trees, especially near the roots, 

 where they may sometimes be seen thus em- 

 ployed. The grubs of the large kinds are 

 said to be six years in coming to their growth, 

 living all this time in the trunks and roots 

 of trees, boring into the solid wood, and re- 

 ducing it to a substance resembling very 

 coarse sawdust ; and the injury thus caused 

 by them is sometimes very considerable. 

 When they have arrived at their full size, 

 they enclose themselves in egg-shaped pods, 



composed of gnawed particles of wood and 

 bark stuck together and lined with a kind of 

 glue : within these pods they are transformed 

 to pupae, of a yellowish white colour, having 

 the body and all the limbs of the future 

 beetle encased in a whitish film, which being 

 thrown off in due time, the insects appear in 

 the beetle form, burst the walls of their pri- 

 son, crawl through the passages the larvae 

 had gnawed, and come forth on the outside 

 of the trees. Our figure represents the Lu- 



canus Ibex, a very common Brazilian spe- 

 cies ; but we may rather refer to the common 

 Stag-beetle (Lucanus cervus), a highly cha- 

 racteristic species of the group, which is seen 

 flying about in the evening, in the middle of 

 summer, especially round the oaks, upon the 

 wood of which the larva feeds ; remaining 

 in that state for several years, before under- 

 going its final transformation. 



LUCEBNARIA. A genus of Polypi be- 

 longing to the Radiata. They affix them- 

 selves by a slender peduncle to sea-weeds 

 and other substances. The upper part ex- 

 pands like an inverted parasol, and is sur- 



rounded by numerous tentacula ; and be- 

 tween these are eight e;cca, proceeding from 

 the stomach, and containing a red granulated 

 matter. L. auricula, here figured, has the 

 border octagonal, with a bundle of tentacula 

 *.n eacli division. 



LTICINA. A genus of bivalve Mollusca, 

 comprising many species, both recent and 

 fossil, and very universally diffused. The 

 shell is nearly round, inequilateral, and ra- 

 diately striated ; bosses small and pointed ; 

 the outer surface sculptured, the interior 



