The Beetles of the Mountains 



is still smoother, in fact, quite polished, but this species 

 (G. pyrcnceus) does not occur on high mountains ; sandy 

 heaths in the south of England being more promising 

 places in which to search for it. This G. vcrnalis we 

 may find crawling slowly and awkwardly over the short 

 turf anywhere about the mountains. 



Our other Lamdlicorn is an Aphodius (see Plate II., 

 Fig. n), and we shall not find it beyond the point 

 where the sheep can feed or climb, as it occurs 

 in or about their droppings ; its name is Aphodius 

 lapponum (the Lapland Aphodius) Fig. 13, Plate VI., 

 4 to 5 mm. long, of the usual cylindrical oblong Aphodius 

 shape, shining black with the elytra usually more or 

 less dark reddish brown, antennae reddish with darker 

 club, thorax finely and closely punctured with the 

 front angles reddish, elytra with rather deep striae, 

 the space between the striae very finely punctured, 

 legs reddish brown. We shall not have much difficulty 

 in recognizing this Aphodius, as there is only one other 

 species that sometimes occurs at this altitude, and that 

 is A. ater, which is smaller and shorter and blacker in 

 colour, and has its thorax covered with punctures of 

 two sizes, whereas in A. lapponum the thorax is finely 

 but uniformly punctured. 



But there are a few more mountain species of Geo- 

 dcptiaga which at the height we are now attaining 

 ought to be found under some of the looser stones. 

 One of these is Pterostichus vitrcus (the shining Pterosti- 

 chus), Fig. 18, Plate VI. We have already met with 

 more than one species of Pterostichus (see Plate II., 



