124 NATURAL HISTORY. 



in Egypt and countries along the Mediterranean ; their 

 eggs are deposited in manure or excrementitious matters, 

 which they roll into a ball and shove along -with their 

 hind feet and seemingly great trouble to some spot where 

 it can be buried safely. From this intense care in pro- 

 viding for their young, or perhaps the shining rays of 

 their brilliant-colored heads, they were -worshiped by the 

 ancient Egyptians, and their representations are fonnd 

 on their monuments. In those early days they vrere 

 known by the names of Cantharus and Scarabeus. 



The Moonshaped Dung Beetle (copris lunaris) is 

 nine lines in length ; black and glossy ; thorax and ab- 

 domen of equal measure ; the elytra ridged ; the head 

 globular, with an erect horn on the front. The males 

 are distinguished from the females by the superior size of 

 this appendage. They feed on dung, are found in sandy 

 places, under which they make holes, where they deposit 

 their eggs. 



The Horse Beetle (geotrupes stercorarius), nearly as 

 large as a cockchafer, it is of a lustrous black above, 

 violet below, may be seen in evenings flying everywhere, 

 but is more especially abundant in the neighborhood of 

 manure heaps. When touched, the cunning insect 

 stretches forth its legs and feigns itself dead. In bad 

 weather it seems to crawl about rather than fly. The 

 female lays her eggs singly and in the following manner : 

 She makes a hole in the earth, which she lines with 

 manure ; here one egg only is deposited and covered with 

 the same material, she then proceeds to dig a number of 

 others intended for the same purpose. Mites are fre- 

 quently found on these beetles. 



The Bread Beetle (trogosida caraboides) is three and 

 a half lines in length, black, brown below with the elytra 



