COLEOPTEEA. 441 



of the south of Russia the lovers of sporting are in the habit of 

 making their dogs, from time to time, swallow (as a preservative) 

 half of a Cetonia with bread or a little wine. Every one in those 

 countries is persuaded of the efficacy of this means for stopping 

 the development of the disease. One ought not, perhaps, to 

 reject a belief so widespread and deeply rooted without some ex- 

 periments to guarantee us in doing so, for medicine does not yet 

 possess any remedy against hydrophobia. It might not then be 

 useless to try this. 



Two smaller species than the Rose beetle, the Cetonia punctulata 

 and the Cetonia pubescens, which has yellowish hairs, live on the 

 flowers of thistles. Western Africa, the Cape, Madagascar, &c., 

 are very rich in species of Cetoni<z. Among 

 the Cetoniides is the genus Goliathus, gigantic 

 insects which inhabit Africa and the East 

 Indies. Their total length sometimes attains 

 from three to five inches. Their colours 

 are generally a dull white or yellow, which 

 has nothing metallic about it, with spots of a 

 velvety black ; these are due to a sort of down 

 of an extreme thinness, and which very easily 

 comes off. The head of these enormous Coleop- 

 tera is generally cut or scooped out, and is Fig. 425. Cetonia argentea. 

 adorned sometimes with one or two horns. Their legs, strong and 

 robust, are armed with spurs, and present on their exterior sharp 

 indentations, which give to these insects a crabbed physiognomy, 

 which their inoffensive habits are far from justifying. All these 

 horns, and all these teeth which look so terrible, are nothing in 

 fact, with a great number of these insects, but simple ornaments. 

 They compose the picturesque uniform of the males. It is equi- 

 valent to the bear- skin caps, the flaming helmets, and the bullion 

 fringed epaulettes of our soldiers. The dress of the female 

 Goliathus is much more modest, as is becoming to the sex. We 

 here represent the Goliathus Derbyana (Fig. 426) and Polyphemus 

 (Fig. 427.) 



The Gfoliaths were formerly excessively rare in collections, and 

 of a price inaccessible to ordinary amateurs one single specimen 

 costing as much as twenty pounds. But for some time the 



