THE BEETLE. 20,5 



Ground beetle Violet ditto Bombardier. 



turns upwards, making a crooked line, terminat- 

 ing in two horns, each of which is near a quarter 

 of an inch long ; tut they are not perforated at 

 the end like the proboscis of other insects. 

 About four-tenths of an inch above the head, at 

 that side next the body, is a prominence, or small 

 horn, which, if the rest of the trunk were away, 

 would cause this part to resemble the horn of a 

 rhinoceros. There is indeed, a beetle so called, 

 but then the horn, or trunk, has no fork at the 

 end, though the lower horn resembles this. See 

 fig 8, in the plate of insects. 



The ground-beetle deposits its eggs in the 

 earth, or in decayed trees, where the larvae or 

 grubs reside till their transformation. In the 

 state of caterpillars these insects do incalculable 

 injury to gardens. Their rapacity is not, how- 

 ever, confined to vegetable productions; for every 

 insect which chance or superiority of strength 

 places within their power, falls a victim to their 

 tyrannic and voracious disposition. 



The violet-beetle is a beautiful insect of an 

 oblong shape, and a dark violet colour. The 

 edges of the cases to the wings and of the thorax 

 are violet with a shade of purple. The former 

 are without either dots or streaks, but are marked 

 lengthwise with deep wrinkles. This insect is 

 most commonly found among rotten wood. 



The head, antennae, thorax, and feet, of the 

 bombardier are of a brownish red colour. The 



