BEETLES. 39 



species spin a soft nest out of a gummy material which they 

 secrete, and in this nest they deposit their eggs ; their Miocene 

 progenitors probably protected their offspring in a similar 

 fashion. The larvae of recent species live upon small aquatic 

 Mollusca, whilst the adults prefer a vegetable diet. 



The Clavicornia form a very numerous tribe. At (Eningeii 

 they possess fifty-five species, and occupy the third place. In 

 the present fauna of Switzerland Clavicornia take the third 

 place, the sixth in that of Europe, and the eighth in that of 

 Tropical America. Eight families of them are found at (Enin- 

 gen ; and of these the Nitidulidae, Peltidse, and Histeridse include 

 the greatest number of species. Of the last family, twelve spe- 

 cies lived in manure, and also partly in carrion, feeding on the 

 larvae of other insects which frequent those substances. One 

 species (Hister Mastodontis, Heer, fig. 276) closely resembles a 

 Southern-European species (H. major, Linn.), whilst several 

 others (such as H. antiquus, Heer, H. cumulus, Heer, and H. 

 maculigerus, Heer) represent forms distributed throughout 

 Europe. Their elytra were either entirely black or presented 

 light-coloured spots, which were probably red during life. 



Of the numerous Nitidulidae (nineteen species) several have 

 their nearest allies in America, others in Europe. These insects 

 live sometimes upon the juices flowing from the stems of trees, 

 and sometimes upon flowers, but also occasionally on carrion. 

 The true carrion-beetles (Silphidae) are rare, and only one spe- 

 cies of this family (Silpha tricostata, Heer, fig. 275) has been 

 found. This is nearly related to Silpha carinata, Heer, and no 

 doubt obtained its nourishment from the bodies of the Mammals 

 which died in the forest of CEningen. 



Of Peltidae ten species are found at (Eningen, affording a 

 proof of the abundance of wood at that period. Whilst the 

 genus Trogosita is now represented in Switzerland only by two 

 rare species, CEningen possessed eight species, which no doubt 

 lived under the bark of trees. They are chiefly peculiar forms 

 (such as Trogosita sculpturata, Heer, fig. 277), which may be 

 best compared with those of southern countries; but one of 

 them (T. assimilis, Heer) is nearly allied to a species now spread 

 over nearly all parts of the world (T. mauritanica, Linn.). A 



