582 THE TROPICAL WORLD. 



members of the family the Elephant, the Neptune, the Typhon, the Hector, the 

 Mars whose very names indicate that they are giants in the insect world. These 

 beetles excavate burrows in the earth, where they conceal themselves during the day, 

 or live in the decomposed trunks of trees, and are generally of a dark, rich brown, or 

 chestnut color. On the approach of night they run about the footpaths in woods, or 

 fly around the trees to a great bight with a loud humming noise. Resembling the 

 large herbivorous quadrupeds by their comparative size and horn-like processes, they 

 are still further like them in their harmless nature, and thus deserve in more than one 

 respect to be called the elephants among the insect tribes. 



The Goliaths of the coast of Guinea are nearly as large as the American giant 

 beetles, and surpass them in brilliancy of coloring. Some years ago these huge 

 beetles, which live exclusively on the juice of trees, were very rare, and brought 

 extravagant prices. Thus, Mr. Swainson mentions 30 having been offered and 

 refused for a single specimen, the proprietor demanding 50. The South American 

 Inca beetles greatly resemble the African Goliaths, equalling them in size and beauty. 



Many of the tropical dragon-flies, grasshoppers, butterflies, and moths, are of no less 

 colossal dimensions in their several orders than the giants among the beetles. The 

 Libellula lucretia, a South American dragon-fly, measures five inches and a half in 

 length; the giant Phasma is a span long; and the cinnamon-eating Atlas-moth of 

 Ceylon ofteu reaches the dimensions of nearly a foot in the stretch of its superior 

 wings. 



In the tropical zone, where the prodigality of life multiplies the enemies which every 

 creature has to encounter, we may naturally expect to find the insects extremely well 

 provided with both passive and active means of defence. Many so closely resemble 

 in color the soil or object on which they are generally found, as to escape even the eye 

 of a hungry enemy. The wings of several Brazilian moths appear like withered 

 leaves that have been gnawed round their margins by insects; and when these moths 

 are disturbed, instead of flying away, they fall upon the ground like the leaf which 

 they resemble, so that it is difficult, if not impossible, on such occasions to know what 

 they really are. 



The illusion is still more complete when the likeness of form is joined to that of 

 color, as in the walking leaf and walking-stick insects. Some, of an enormous length, 

 look so exactly like slender dead twigs covered with bark, that their insect nature can 

 only be discovered by mere accident. Upon being handled they feign death, and their 

 legs are often knobbed, like the withered buds of trees. Some resemble living twigs, 

 and are green; others such as are decayed, and are therefore colored brown. The 

 wings of many put on the resemblance of dry and crumpled leaves, while those of 

 others are vivid green, in exact accordance with the plants they respectively inhabit. 

 Mr. Wallace describes the Kallima paralekta, a large beautifully colored butterfly 

 when flying, but which, when alighted, can not be distinguished from a dead leaf, 

 except upon the closest scrutiny. He had often seen it flying, but had never been 

 able to capture one. At last actually saw one alight close by where he was standing; 

 but it disappeared as if by magic. At last he detected it ; and having secured it, was 

 able to perceive how it was able to hide itself, when in plain view. The upper end 

 of the wings terminates in a fine point, while the lower wings are lengthened out into 

 a short thick tail ; between these points runs a dark line like the midrib of a leaf, 



