8 LAMBLLIOORNIA. [Scarabteid<#. 



the genus Atevchiu), which roll up balls of dung with their hind legs, 

 and deposit their eggs in the centre ; the larva, when hatched, finds its food 

 prepared for it, and when it has consumed it, it is full-grown and ready 

 to turn into the pupa state ; the famous Egyptian " Sacred beetle " or 

 " Scarabaeus " is a close ally of this genus, if it is not to be identified with 

 it; we perpetually find representations of this beetle in Egyptian 

 mummies and sarcophagi ; it was apparently regarded as sacred partly 

 because of its valuable work as a scavenger, and partly because its 

 motions while rolling along the balls of dung were regarded as mysti- 

 cally representing the motions of the earth and sun, &c. ; one of these 

 Egyptian figures is represented in Vol. I., Introduction, page xvii. 



The earliest known beetles mentioned by the ancients belong to this 

 family, viz. the Coprion, Heliocantharus, and Cantharus ; the latter 

 beetle is referred to in the " Pax " of Aristophanes (L. 1-7, &c.), 

 where two attendants are introduced as feeding the Cantharus in the 

 following dialogue : 



O'iK(T7)s A. Alp' alpf ft.uav is rd\iffra Ka.vQ6.py. 

 O(cTijr B. ISov' Sbs avrif, rep Kaniffr' a.iroXov/j.fi'tp, 



Kol fjL'fiTror' ourijy /uaac riSita ipdyoi. 

 O. A. Sbs jua^ac irfpav 1 oi'iSocv trfirKa(Tfi,4vTiv. 



O. B. ISov fi.d\' avdif irov yap, t)i> vuv 5)) '<pepj .- 



oil KarfQaytv ; 

 O. A. fjia rbv Af 4x\* k^apirdffas 



i\rjv tvfitantyf irepiKv\iffas TOIV irotiolv. 



Which may be freely translated : 



SKRVANT 1. Bring a cake as quickly as possible for the Cantharus. 



SERVANT 2. There it is, give it him, and may curses light on him, and may he never 



taste a sweeter cake. 



SERVANT 1. Give him another cake kneaded from asses' dung. 

 SERVANT 2. Well, there is another ; but where is that which you just offered him ? 



Did he not eat it all ? 

 SKRVANT 1. Yes, by Jupiter, he seized it and rolled it up into a ball with his feet and 



gulped it down whole. 



As a rule the species belonging to this family are dark-coloured, but 

 occasionally, as in Phanaus, they are very brilliantly coloured and 

 strongly metallic, and thus upset the theories of those who have believed 

 that the plant-feeding beetles are alone metallic and gaily coloured, 

 whereas all the dung-fneders are inconspicuous. 



With the exception of the genus Aphodius, the family is very poorly 

 represented in Europe, and is chiefly characteristic of warmer and 

 tropical climates. 



The family has been classified in various ways by different authors ; 

 Erichson divides it into two divisions, the Laparosticti and the Pleuro- 

 sticti, but as the Melolonhini appear to be intermediate between 

 these, I have followed the triple division adopted by Dr. Leconte, and 

 Dr. Horn in the Classification- of the Coleoptera of North America, 

 p. 237. 



