THE STAG BEETLE. 107 



a pectinated club ; the legs are long, and terminated 

 by long tarsi, which bear a pair of large claws at their 

 extremity, and between these is seen a curious little 

 appendage, which looks like a minute joint terminated 

 by a pair of very delicate claws. 



The larva of the Stag Beetle is a large, white, 

 fleshy grub, which lives principally in the trunks of 

 willows and oak trees, feeding upon the wood. It is 

 supposed to be the Cossus of the ancient Romans, 

 which was regarded by them as a great delicacy. 

 According to R/osel it passes six years in the larva 

 state, and then changes to a pupa in the interior of a 

 cocoon composed of the debris of the wood which it 

 has gnawed. On arriving at the perfect state, the 

 beetle emerges from its concealment, and then feeds 

 upon the juices exuding from the wounds of trees, or 

 upon the honey-dew found upon their leaves, which 

 it laps up by means of a delicate fringe of hairs with 

 which its maxillae and labium are furnished. They 

 live but a short time in this condition, in which their 

 only object is the continuation of their species, and 

 the males, which fly about in the evening in search 

 of their partners, are said at this period to have most 

 violent combats amongst themselves, in which their 

 enormous mandibles must come into play with terrible 

 effect. The females make a more peaceful use of 

 their smaller jaws, which they employ in digging a 

 small hole into the trunks of trees for the reception 

 of their eggs. We have three smaller British species 

 nearly allied to this, but in none of these are the 

 mandibles developed in anything like the same pro- 

 portion. 



In the remainder of the tribe the antennae do not 

 present the geniculated structure characteristic of the 



