■ft^ ORDER COLEOPTERA. 



thai^ed, however, with frequenting orchards and feeding upon the ripening fruits : par- 

 ticularly do they select the best peaches, which, if they do not entirely devour, they 

 cnatly injure by biting them. The distinguished naturalist last above named mentions that 

 he has taken a dozen from a single peach. 



When cold weflthor approaches, they are suj.posed to secure themselves in some shel- 

 tered place, and pass the winter. The March brood, as I have often observed, appear to 

 issue directly from the ground ; and at numerous places they may be seen in numbers, 

 flying low, and hovering over the ground like himiblebees, ujwn which they alight and 

 arc lost in the dead grass and leaves, or penetrate again into the earth. 



The genera of this family are numerous, and are known as Jlcwer beetles. The European 

 "species Cetonia (Epic<mietis) hirta is said to destroy apricot blossoms in Malta; and another, 

 Cetonia cardui, visits beehives, and destroys the wax and honey {Revue Zoologique, vii, 9G). 

 Plates of lead, with small perforations for the bees, were put over the place of ingress ; 

 but the cetonise soon enlarged them : zinc was then substituted, and found to answer as 

 « protection. 



Cetoxia fclcida ( Fab.). ( Plate xii, fig. 4.) 



Body depressed, ovate. Head small, green above : thorax triangular and brilliant green, 



margined with luteous ; its sides are also slightly dilated ; base slightly sinuous for 



the reception of the scutel, which is an isosceles triangle aiftl green. Elytra luteous, 



sometimes they show a greenish tint, truncate and deflexed behind : at the deflexure 



they are prominent ; the prominence terminates an obscure ridge which runs from the 



shoulders of the elytra ; the suture is also elevated, so as to form a central ridge. 



Behind, the abdomen is marked with four triangular mouldy spots : spots similar to 



these extend along the sides of the abdomen ; legs luteous, glossy ; sides of the breast 



hairy ; tarsi and base of the cubits brown, nearly l)lack. Length six-tenths of an inch. 



This insect, which is very common in Maryland, is not very numerous, as I have 



observed, in New-England and New- York ; it is more common in the paths in groves than 



♦Isewhere. 



