Common Beetles of our Countryside 



thorax and elytra will be seen to be covered 

 with greenish-grey scales, the elytra bearing four 

 black raised lines, each of which are marked with 

 a regular series of dots of white pubescence. The 

 legs are also black variegated with grey, so that the 

 whole insect has a rather tessellated look, but the 

 two large black spots on the elytra are very conspicuous 

 and will distinguish the species at once ; the rostrum is 

 quite black and the antennae reddish. The other 

 species Cionus blattarice (Latin blatta some sort of 

 beetle), is considerably smaller, about 3 mm., and whiter, 

 but of the same swollen, short, oblong shape, the two black 

 spots on the elytra are much larger, especially the upper 

 one, which is often double, the greenish-grey pubes- 

 cence of hortulanus is replaced by white, and the black 

 and white spotted lines on the elytra are more irregular, 

 the legs also are reddish variegated with white. Both 

 of these Cioni we might also take from the Scrophularia, 

 and also another species Cionus scrophularice which 

 is a trifle . larger than hortulanus and almost black, 

 but of the same general scheme of coloration ; in this 

 case, however, the two black elytral spots which are not 

 nearly so conspicuous, owing to the ground colour being 

 almost black, are accompanied by patches of white 

 pubescence, which makes them the more visible. 



But having now swept and shaken and taken toll 

 of these plants of the chalk, let us turn to what after 

 all is perhaps the most efficacious method of collecting 

 beetles on the Downs, I mean an examination of the 

 moss and small loose gravelly debris that covers their 



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