popular SDictt'anxrn af &mmatett Mature* 447 



cording to Mr. West wood's definition, they 

 are " chiefly distinguished by having the 

 antennae gradually or suddenly thickened 

 at the tips ; the mandibles generally robust 

 and exserted ; the maxillce with the outer 

 lobe large, but not palpiform nor articu- 

 lated ; the maxillary palpi with the basal 

 joint often small ; the body often oval or 

 oblong, with the prosternum not anteriorly 

 produced ; the elytra sometimes shorter than 

 the abdomen ; the legs formed for running, 

 and not contractile." Though the Necro- 

 pliaga in general subsist on the decaying 

 remains of animal matter, some of the spe- 

 cies feed upon decaying fungi and other 

 vegetable remains ; while in others are to 

 be traced vestiges of those predaceous habits 

 which characterize another group of beetles. 

 [See next Art.~\ 



NECROPIIORUS ; or SEXTON- 

 BEETLES. A genus of Coleoptera belong- 

 ing to the preceding group, and containing 

 several species found in Europe and North 

 America principally; though some are found 

 also on the mountains of South America and 

 Asia. Tilt habits of all the species are be- 

 lievcd to be similar to the example referred 

 to beneath. Our figure represents the j\ r c- 

 croji/iurita I'cspillo, perhaps the first species 

 011 which observations were made. It has 



THE SEXTON OR BDR 



(NEORCPHORCJS v 



the elytra red, and banded with black. 

 From Mr. Newman's interesting History of 

 Insects we extract, as a good summary 

 of the habits of the genus, his account of 

 the habits of the CHEAT BLACK SEXTON 

 BEETLE (Necropfiorus gcrmamis). " It is 

 about an inch in length, of a black colour, 

 and so fetid* that the hands smell for hours 

 after handling it ; and if it crawl on woollen 

 clothes which are not washed, the smell cpn- 

 tiuues for several days. The Sexton Beetle 

 lays its eggs in the bodies of putrefying dead 

 animals, which, when practicable, it buries 

 in the ground. In Russia, where the poor 

 people are buried but a few inches below the 

 surface of the ground, the Sexton Beetles 

 avail themselves of the bodies for this pur- 

 pose, and the graves are pierced with their 

 holes in every direction ; at evening, hun- 

 dreds of these beetles may be seen in the 

 church-yards, either buzzing over recent 

 graves, or emerging from them. The Sex- 

 ton Beetle in this country seldom finds so 

 convenient a provision for him, and he is 

 under the necessity of taking much more 

 trouble ; he sometimes avails himself of dead 



dogs and horses, but these are too great 

 rarities to be his constant resort ; the usual 

 objects of his search are dead mice, rats, 

 birds, frogs, and moles ; of these a bird is 

 most commonly obtained. In the neigh- 

 bourhood of towns, every kind of garbage 

 that is thrown out attracts these beetles as 

 soon as it begins to smell, and it is not un- 

 usual to see them settling in our streets, 

 enticed by the grateful odour of such sub- 

 stances. The Sexton Beetles hunt in couples, 

 male and female ; and where six or eight 

 are found in a large animal, they are almost 

 sure to be males and females, in equal num- 

 bers ; they hunt by scent only, the chase 

 being mostly performed when no other sense 

 would be very available, viz. in the night. 

 When they have found a bird, great comfort 

 is expressed by the male, who wheels round 

 and round above it, like a vulture over the 

 putrefying carcass of some giant of the forest, 

 the female settles on it at once, without 

 this testimonial of satisfaction ; the male at 

 last settles also, and a savoury and ample 

 meal is made before the great work is begun. 

 After the beetles have appeased the calls of 

 hunger, the bird is abandoned for a while ; 

 they both leave it to explore the earth in 

 the neighbourhood, and ascertain whether 

 there is a place suitable for interment : if on 

 a ploughed field there is no difficulty ; but 

 if on grass, or among stones, much labour is 

 required to draw it to a more suitable place. 

 The operation of burying is performed al- 

 most entirely by the male beetle, the female 

 mostly hiding herself in the body of the bird 

 about to be buried, or sitting quietly upon 

 it, and allowing herself to be buried with 

 it : the male begins by digging a furrow all 

 round the bird, at the distance of about half 

 an inch, turning the earth outside ; his head 

 is the only tool used in this operation ; it is 

 held sloping outwards, and is exceedingly 

 powerful. After the first furrow is com- 

 pleted, another is made within it, and the 

 earth is thrown into the first furrow ; then 

 a third furrow is made, and this is completely 

 under the bird, so that the beetle whilst 

 working at it is out of sight : now, the ope- 

 ration can only be traced by the heaving of 

 the earth, which soon forms a little rampart 

 round the bird : as the earth is moved from 

 beneath, and the surrounding rampart in- 

 creases in height, the bird sinks. After in- 

 cessant labour for about three hours the 

 beetle emerges, crawls upon the bird, and 

 takes a survey of his work. If the female 

 is on the bird, she is driven away by the 

 male, who does not choose to be intruded on 

 during the important business. The male 

 beetle then remains for about an hour per- 

 fectly still ; he then dismounts, dives again 

 into the grave, and pulls the bird down by 

 the feathers for half an hour ; its own weight 

 appears to sink it but very little. At last, 

 after two or three hours' more labour, the 

 beetle comes up, again gets on the bird, and 

 again takes a survey, and then drops down as 

 though dead, or fallen suddenly fast asleep. 

 When sufficiently rested, he rouses himself, 

 treads the bird firmly into its grave, pulls it 

 by the feathers this way and that way, and 

 having settled it to his mind, begins to shovel 



Q Q 2 



