THE BEETLES 



149 



bent forward on the head, is frequently found beneath the bark 

 of stumps and in rotting wood, and has been termed the horned 



passalus (Passalus cornutns). 



Scarabaeidae. With over five hun- 

 dred species in this country, the Scar- 

 abaeidae form one of the largest and 

 most important families of beetles. 

 They are thick-bodied beetles of the 

 May-beetle, or June-bug, type, strong 

 but clumsy, and many have the an- 

 terior tibiae broadly flattened for dig- 

 ging. They may be divided into two 

 main groups, the scavengers and the 

 leaf -chafers. The larvae of all of the 

 species are commonly called white 

 grubs, for although they vary greatly 

 in size and structure, they all have the 



same general appearance of the white grub, with its large yellow 

 or brown head with strong mandibles, long legs, thick, whitish 



FIG. 212. Passalus comutus. 

 (Slightly enlarged) 



FIG. 213. Scarab beetle (Aleuchus variolosus] rolling egg-balls of dung, and 

 Egyptian sculptures of Sacred Scarab 



(After Brehm) 



