156 BEETLES 



habits, attacking all kinds of aquatic insects, tadpoles, and even 

 small fish. The larva lives in the water, and is as rapacious and 

 sanguinary in its habits as the adult. 



The Great Water Beetle (Hydrophilus piceus), although some- 

 times attaining to nearly twice the size of the Dytiscus, is not 

 nearly such a ferocious insect ; indeed, for the most part it is a 

 leaf-eater, although in the larval stage it will sometimes display 

 a carnivorous habit. The most remarkable structural feature of 

 this beetle is the presence in the female of some abdominal glands 

 which produce a silky substance that covers the eggs with an 

 impervious cocoon. 



The family of the Scarabaeidae is, perhaps, the most interesting 

 as well as the most numerous of the Coleoptera, and its members 

 present remarkable distinctions in their habits, food, methods of 

 life, and conformation. But although they vary so much amongst 

 themselves, these beetles constitute a very natural and very 

 characteristic assemblage. They possess antennae which are short 

 and inserted into a cavity underneath the lateral edges of the 

 head, and which end in a club-shaped mass made up of several 

 leaflets. The antennae enable us to distinguish most of the Scarab 

 Beetles at once. To this family belong the familiar Cockchafers, 

 the Dung Beetles, the beautiful metallic Rose Beetles, and the 

 Sacred Scarab Beetle of Egypt ; and some members attain the 

 largest size amongst insects. 



The Cockchafer (Melolontha vulgaris) is also sometimes called 

 the "May Bug," the latter name referring to the season when the 

 perfect insect first appears. In some years vast numbers of these 

 beetles appear, and they are just as scarce in others ; and this is 

 due to the long duration of the larval stage, which lasts for three 

 years. Both larva and perfect insect cause considerable damage ; 

 the larva by attacking the roots of plants, and the beetle by 

 devouring the young buds and tender foliage. The cockchafer is 

 a common agricultural pest all over Europe, being found wherever 

 the farming industry thrives, for agricultural operations favour these 

 insects, as the larvae cannot mature in undisturbed soil ; so that 

 the more the ground is ploughed and dressed, rendering it light 

 and suitable for vegetation, the better it is for the cockchafer 

 larvae. Fortunately for the farmer and gardener, the rooks, gulls, 

 lapwings, crows, magpies, and many other birds devour great 



