THE BRACHELYTRA. 97 



About the month of May the larva forms a cell in 

 the ground, in which it changes to the pupa state, 

 and comes out a perfect Beetle in about fifteen or 

 sixteen days. 



Another fine species, which resembles the preceding 

 in its habits of roaming about the open fields, is the 

 Staphylinus erythropterus, a black insect, with red 

 elytra, and with patches of beautiful golden yellow 

 down upon the abdomen. It is rather less than an 

 inch long. Of the frequenters of carrion, the largest 

 is the Creophilus maxillosus, a beetle rather shorter 

 and broader than our common Cock- tail; it is of a 

 shining black colour, with broad bands of greyish 

 down on the elytra and abdomen. It exhibits a still 

 more formidable pair of mandibles than even the 

 Ocypus olens. 



To enter upon any particulars of the structure and 

 habits of the multitudinous species of this tribe would 

 lead us on to too great a length ; it will be sufficient 

 to add that the student cannot fail to meet with 

 them in any of the localities already referred to as 

 affording them a habitation, and that most of them 

 appear to be more or less predaceous, although some 

 of those found in the midst of putrescent animal and 

 vegetable matters may derive a portion of their sus- 

 tenance from those substances. Amongst the smaller 

 species there are some, however, which deserve notice 

 on account of peculiarities in their organization or 

 habits. 



On the former account it may be worth while to 

 refer to the species forming the genus Pselaphus, and 

 its allies, minute beetles with the abdomen consider- 

 ably broader than the head and thorax, and the elytra 

 covering about half the abdomen, thus reminding one 



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