EXSECTS COLEOPTEKA DIAGRAM 6 



115 



or ol*o a bird, or a frog. They lay their eggs in it, and then 

 undertake the great work of burying 

 the carcass, at which several always 

 assist ; for this purpose, they burrow under- 

 neath it and hollow out the earth, and 

 throw it aside, so that the body sinks little 

 by little, and finally' lies in a hole large 

 enough to contain it ; then they cover it 

 with the earth which they had removed, 

 and leave it. This work sometimes re- 

 quires two days, although the beetles who 

 Necrophores. have undertaken it, prosecute it with great 

 ardour. The larva) are thus born in the midst of their ap- 

 propriate food. They are greyish white worms. 



The Dermestes are small beetles about a quarter of an inch 

 long ; they have black elytrae with a white spot on each. The 

 larva is wholly covered with hairs ; it eats cheese, lard, furs, 

 linen, and feathers. It is extremely voracious, and will even 

 attack old bones. It is the greatest enemy of collectors of 

 natural history, because it eats stuffed skins. 



The cockchafer is certainly one of the most destructive insects 

 known ; in the perfect state, it devours the forests ; and in the 

 larva state it eats the roots of the crops. The larva) are called 

 icJiite worms, and are hatched about six weeks after the eggs 



Cockchafer. Larva, or white worm, 



have been laid by the cockchafers on the ground. 



12 



They 



