BEETLES 77 



sponsible for the " worm-eaten " condition of our 

 furniture. This insect and its allies are the common 

 " death-watches," to which reference has already been 

 made (p. 33). They have the habit of striking their 

 head or jaws against the wood beneath them, thus 

 producing a regular ticking sound, which is very 

 mysterious to those who are unacquainted with its 

 true cause. In this family the larvae are soft, curved 

 grubs, like those of the series Lamellicornia in 

 miniature. 



The well-known "soldier" and "sailor" beetles, 1 

 that abound on plants during the summer, are pro- 

 bably the most familiar examples of the family Lam- 

 pyvidcB) or Malacodermida, as it is called by many 

 authors. Among their allies is the glow-worm, 2 re- 

 markable for its light-giving powers. The male glow- 

 worm has wings and elytra, and flies well ; but the 

 female scarcely differs in appearance from the full- 

 grown larva, save that her legs and antennae are more 

 perfectly developed. The bright spots of light that we 

 see among herbage on warm evenings are due chiefly 

 to the presence of female glow-worms, and proceed 

 from the underside of the abdomen, near its tip, where 

 certain of the segments are lighter in colour than the 

 rest ; but all stages of the insect, even the eggs, are 

 luminous in a less degree. Members of this family are 

 especially characterized by the softness of their integu- 

 ment. The active larvae feed, according to their kind, 

 on small molluscs, worms, and a variety of decaying 

 substances. 



The " skipjacks " or " click-beetles," of the family 

 Elaterida, get their popular names from their remark- 

 able power of jumping when placed on their backs. 

 1 Telephorus. 2 Lampyris noctiluca. 



