160 BEETLES 



twenty-four hours ; and then they begin to feed upon the body. 

 The female speedily deposits her eggs in the corpse, and these 

 soon become larvae, and feed, like their parents, upon the putrid 

 matter until they acquire their full size, when they quit the remains 

 of the dead body, and make a cell at some depth below the surface 

 of the earth, in which they undergo their metamorphosis. Although 

 their habits appear unpleasant, the Sexton Beetles really render 

 valuable service, acting as natural scavengers, as, by burying the 

 bodies of small animals beneath the soil, they prevent the air from 

 becoming tainted by the odours of decomposition, and at the 

 same time enrich the earth. 



The Devil's Coach-horse (Staphylinus olens) is a familiar black- 

 beetle, which is often to be seen on country roads, and emits a 

 very unpleasant smell. It is a carnivorous insect, and most aston- 

 ishingly bold and impudent. When disturbed it does not attempt 

 to run away, but stops in its progress and shows fight at once. It 

 plants its feet firmly on the ground, cocks up its head and tail, 

 snaps its sharp jaws in the most defiant manner, and sends forth 

 its horrible smell. The larva somewhat resembles the adult insect 

 in appearance, and is quite as pugnacious and carnivorous in its 

 habits, hiding away during the daytime and coming forth at 

 night to seek its prey. One member of the genus, the Staphylinus 

 maxillosus, has very formidable jaws, and lives upon the bodies 

 of dead animals ; others, with very thin, long bodies, are common 

 in damp woods, where they hunt their prey among the fallen leaves 

 and decaying branches ; while another species is found in hornets' 

 nests, where it probably feeds upon the larvae of those formidable 

 wasps. 



Some very remarkable Staphylinidce are found in the nests of 

 the termites of Brazil, and are distinguished by the enormous 

 development of the abdomen, which is turned Up so that it rests 

 upon the back of the insect. The enormous distension of this 

 part of the body is due to the fact that these beetles do not lay 

 eggs, but produce living young the only species of beetle which 

 bring forth their progeny in this way. This remarkable discovery was 

 first published in 1864 by Schiodte, who states that the hairs which 

 cover parts of the abdomen are furnished with a secretion that 

 is much liked by the termites. These curious and interesting beetles 

 are about -^ of an inch in length, and their abdomen is soft. 



