162 BEETLES 



elegance of their colour and markings ; many of them reach 

 a great size, the Titanus gigas, of Cayenne and the Amazons, 

 and the Xixuthrus heros, of the Fiji Islands, being amongst the 

 largest known beetles, attaining 6 inches in length of body. The 

 larvae live either under the bark of trees or in the wood of the 

 stem, while some feed on roots. Upwards of 8,000 species are 

 known, the majority inhabiting the forest regions of the tropics. 

 The Ladybirds, with their dome-shaped bodies and bright 

 spotted wing-cases, are familiar beetles needing no description 

 here, for they are among the first insects with which I suppose 

 every child becomes acquainted, if only by the old nursery 

 rhyme, " Lady-bird, Lady-bird, fly away home ! Your house is 

 on fire, your children all flown." Nearly the whole family prey 

 upon aphides or plant-lice, and in this way do good service in 

 our gardens and in the hop fields. 



