MIMIC BEETLES. 83 



pin either bending, or its point repeatedly slipping off 

 the hard and polished surface of the Beetle in a 

 manner calculated to injure the temper as well as the 

 pin. I always used to keep by me a rather fine 

 needle fixed in a handle, and projecting about one- 

 third of an inch, so that I could pierce the hard elytra 

 with the steel point, and then introduce the pin. 

 This needle was useful in setting many other hard- 

 bodied Beetles, especially some of the weevils. 



These hard and glossy elytra are much shorter 

 than the body, and abruptly truncated ; but below 

 them may be seen a beautiful and wide pair of wings 

 packed away with wonderful neatness. The basal 

 joint of the antennae is very long, and the club is 

 boldly marked, the three last joints being almost 

 fused into a globular and velvety knob. The generic 

 name of Hister is derived from a Latin word signify- 

 ing an actor or a mimic, and is given to these Beetles 

 on account of their habit of simulating death when 

 alarmed. The popular name of MIMIC BEETLES is 

 often given to them by entomologists. 



One of the handsomest species of this genus is the 

 FOUR SPOT MIMIC BEETLE (Hister quadrimaculatus). 

 The colour of this insect is black, but on each elytron 

 is a large C-shaped red mark reaching from the base 

 nearly to the apex. This mark is often divided in 

 the middle, so as to produce the effect of four red 

 spots on the back. A narrower line of the same 

 colour mostly runs along the margin ; but this, like in 

 many other Beetles, is apt to be exceedingly variable 

 in the arrangement of its colouring. 



This, together with the rest of the genus, can be 



G 2 



