popular Qi'ctionavij of gmmatrtt gtaturr. 643 



marked with two white stripes ; the belly is 

 white ; and the tail, which is bushy, is regu- 

 larly marked witli shades of black. It is 

 about the size of the common Squirrel. 



The PALM SQUIRKEL. (Scitirus palma- 

 mm.) This species has acquired its iiame 

 from its being commonly seen frisking ubout 

 palm trees in the East Indies. It princi- 

 pally feeds on fruit, and is said to be very 



fond of the palm wine, which is extracted 

 from the cocoa trees. The female lays her 

 young in the holes of old walls. This spe- 

 cies is not unfrequently brought alive to this 

 country. 



The PLANTAIN SQUIRREL. (Sciurus bili- 

 neatus. ) This pretty species is a native of 

 Java, and is constantly kept by the Javanese 

 as a pet. One wh : ch Mr. Adams obtained 

 when visiting that country in the Samarung, 

 he describes as "an amusing little animal, 

 full of frolic, and as playful as a kitten. He 

 never carried his tail over his bock, like the 

 greater number of his consimilars, but would 

 trail it gracefully along the ground. When 

 angry, he would dilate this ornamental ap- 

 pendage, and bristle up the hairs, like an 

 irritated cat. His natural cry was a weak 

 chirping sound, but when teazed beyond his 

 powers of endurance, he would make a sharp, 

 low, and passionate noise. He seemed to 

 court caresses, and would receive them with 

 pleasure. His food consisted of bananas and 

 cocoa-nuts, which he would usually nibble 

 like a rat, though sometimes he would place 

 it between his paws. He was a remarkably 

 cleanly little creature, continually dressing 

 his fur in the manner of the Felince.. When 

 he slept, he rolled himself up like the dor- 

 mouse, with his tail encircling his body. 

 Always active and blithe, he would some- 

 times perform feats of extraordinary agility, 

 bounding to great distances, and clinging to 

 every object within his reach." 



STAG. [See DEER, RED.] 



STAG-BEETLE. In the article LUCAITOS 

 we have entered at some length on a de- 

 scription of the most common genus of the 

 Stag-beetle. We may here refer our readers 

 to two or three of the most remarkable ge- 

 nera of exotic Lucanidce. In Australia we 

 find the genus Lamprima, in which the pre- 

 valent colouring is metallic green ; the 

 mandibles are short, and clothed with hairs 

 on the inside. In New Zealand occurs the 

 genus Dendroblax, which at first sight re- 

 sembles a small species of Dynastes. In 

 South America we meet with the genus 



Fholidottts, in which the body is covered 

 with scales. On the island of Chiloo the 

 truly remarkable genus ChiasognatJiits occurs, 

 in the male of which the mandibles are 

 longer than the body, bent down towards 

 the tip, where they are reflexed ; on their 

 under side, at the base, there is a long horn. 

 Our figure will illustrate the form of this 

 curious insect better than the longest de- 

 scription ; that with the long jaws shows the 



male, while the flgnre of the thorax and head 

 represent those of the female, in which the 



HKAD AND THORAX O? FEMALE (O.ORANTII.) 



mandibles are very short. Another curious 

 genus allied to this" is Sphcnoynuthua, a native 

 of Columbia. 



STAP1IYLINUS t STAPIIYLINID^E. 

 A genus and family of Coleopterous insects. 

 They have in general the head large and 

 flat, strong mandibles, an- 

 tennae short, the thorax as 

 broad as the abdomen, the 

 elytra truncate at the tip, 

 but still covering the wings, 

 which are of ordinary size. 

 The species arc usually found 

 under dead leaves, stones, 

 dung, &c. Our figure repre- 

 sents the Staphylinus (Ocy- 

 pu) olens, a large and cha- 

 racteristic species of the fa- 

 mily, which is very common 

 in this country, and by many 

 known familiarly as the BTA 

 " DEVIL'S COACH HOBSE." 



