102 TENEBRIO. 



especially if crushed, diffuses a highly unpleasant 

 smell. 



Tenebrio globosus is perhaps not a Linnsean spe- 

 cies, unless it be the T. gibbosus of tjiat author. 

 It is seen during the hottest part of the summer 

 about walls and pathways, and is distinguished 

 by the remarkably globular appearance of the 

 body : it is totally black, the under parts having 

 sometimes a slight violaceous cast, and the joints 

 of the feet, which are remarkably broad, are of a 

 dull brown : the whole insect is of a very smooth, 

 but not polished surface, and usually measures 

 about three quarters of an inch in length: in this 

 however it varies considerably, some specimens, 

 probably the males, being considerably smaller: 

 the antennas in this insect are beautifully monili- 

 form, all the joints being globular. 



Tenebrio rnolitor is an insect often seen in houses : 

 it is one of the smaller kinds, and is coal-black, of 

 a lengthened shape, with longitudinally striated 

 wing-shells, and proceeds from a larva commonly 

 known by the name of the Meal- Worm, from its 

 being so frequently found in flour, &o. it is of 

 a yellowish white colour, about an inch long, 

 slender-bodied, and of a highly polished surface, 

 and is considered as the favorite food of the 

 Nightingale when kept in a state of captivity: it 

 is said to remain two years before it changes into 

 a chrysalis. 



The genus Tenebrio is numerous, and some of 

 the exotic species much resemble the general ap- 



