CARDINAL AND OIL BEETLES. 127 



which in the males are boldly toothed. The man- 

 dibles are deeply notched at the tips, the maxillary 

 palpi have the last joint rather axe-shaped, and the 

 elytra are long, wide, and cover the whole of the 

 abdomen. The typical genus has the antennae longer 

 than the head and thorax, and very 

 boldly 'pectinated,' or comb-like, in 

 the males, in which sex the eyes are 

 distant from each other. c Pectination ' 

 is nothing more than a development 

 of ' serration,' or saw-like form, each 

 of the joints being drawn out into a 

 long and narrow tooth, sometimes 

 on one side only, but often on both Pyrochroa rubens. 

 sides. The latter form of pectination is conspicu- 

 ously shown in many moths, as we shall see when we 

 come to treat of these insects. 



The forehead of the Cardinal Beetle is black, and 

 there is a curved rust-red mark between the eyes. 

 The thorax and elytra are rich scarlet, intensified by 

 a short velvety down with which the surface is 

 covered. This insect is as plentiful as it is hand- 

 some, and it may be captured throughout the summer. 

 It is often one of the inmates of the sweeping-net, 

 after that implement has been used among the flowers 

 of hedgerows. The larva is whitish in colour, and 

 inhabits decaying willows. 



EVERYONE who has walked in the country, and 

 used his eyes, must have noticed the well-known OIL 

 BEETLES (Melofy so called from their curious habit of 

 ejecting a drop of clear yellowish oil from the joints 



