BEETLES. 179 



ever, in the common affairs of life we must not be 

 carried away altogether by outside appearances ; and 

 vicious as this little animal may be, despised or 

 feared by all, and trampled upon by every one as an 

 odious being not fit to live, it has, nevertheless, its 

 virtues, which counterbalance its repulsive appearance. 

 The larvae of these beetles feed entirely upon animal 

 matter, and therefore are not destructive to trees or 

 plants ; and the mature insect is one of the deadliest 

 enemies of the Earwig, which it attacks and at once 

 kills with a- nip from its formidable jaws, afterwards 

 sucking out the contents of its body. This insect is 

 not uncommon in gardens, and is known to children 

 and gardeners as the " Devil's Coach-horse." 1 Some 

 of its representatives may be found in woods, and 

 may, at first, even be mistaken for earwigs. At the 

 least intimation of danger, up goes the tail portion, 

 and by this, as well as the naked extremities, the 

 "Staphs" may be known from others of the great 

 commonwealth of beetles. 



We might write of the Cetoniidce, or Rose-chafers, 

 of the Gold Beetles, of the family which includes the 

 mysterious insects of which it is written : 



" And chambermaids christen this worm a Death-watch, 

 Because, like a watch, it always cries click. 

 Then woe be to those in the house that are sick ! " 



Of the Oil Beetles and Blister Flies, of Mealworms 

 and Musk Beetles until we filled the volume with 

 beetle lore, to the disadvantage of other insects. Nor 

 is it necessary, for every one who desires to know 



1 Staphylimis okns. 

 N 2 



