128 THE ATRACHELIA. 



The latter averages rather more than half an inch in 

 length, and is of a black colour above, with the lower 

 surface and the legs reddish. It is of an oblong form, 

 with the prothorax quadrate, but a little broader than 

 long ; the elytra are finely striated, with punctures in 

 the striae, and the wings are well developed. The 

 larva of this insect is probably better known than the 

 beetle itself, as it is commonly given to the insecti- 

 vorous birds by bird-fanciers, and is sold for this 

 purpose at many shops in London. 



Another abundant species, which perhaps exhibits 

 the characteristic peculiarities of the tribe in a more 

 striking manner than the Tenebriones, is the Blaps 

 mortisaga, an inhabitant of damp outhouses, cellars, 

 and other, obscure situations, which has received the 

 name of the Churchyard Beetle, from its being con- 

 stantly found in the neighbourhood of the repositories 

 of the dead. It is rather a large beetle, often attain- 

 ing a length of nearly an inch ; its surface is smooth, 

 its colour dull black, and its elytra, which are soldered 

 together through the whole length of the suture, are 

 terminated posteriorly by a small notched point. 

 Like the rest of its near allies, which, although it is 

 almost their only representative in Britain, are ex- 

 ceedingly numerous in warmer countries, it is totally 

 destitute of wings, and confined to a terrestrial 

 existence, the hardships of which, however, it gene- 

 rally seeks to alleviate by seeking the society of its 

 own species; and the Churchyard Beetle, like the 

 other Melasomata, as they are termed from the black- 

 ness of their bodies, is usually to be found in com- 

 panies of considerable number. I remember, some 

 years since, being taken into a large cellar close to 

 one of our City churchyards, the walls of which were 



