54S 



ARTK'ULATA. 



ill iluii", in liL'i-a) iiig vegct:il)le iiiatliT, aii.l in tin? earth, feeding upon roots. Tliey usuully pass 

 several years in the hirva state, and ciiangc to the pupa in the interior of a sort of cu(-.m>ii, 

 formed of particles of the surrounding materials, agglutinated together by a stieky secretion. 



; / 

 -/ 



THE STAG BEETLE. 



THE SACRED BEETLE. 



Many of the perfect insects of this family are found in the same situations as their larvae, espe- 

 cially in the case of the dung-feeding 

 species. Of those which live in rot- 

 ten wood, many, like the Rose- 

 Chafer, or RosE-BuG, or Cherby- 

 BuG, Macrodactylus sub-spinosus of 

 our own country, and its still more 

 splendid foreign allies, frequent flow- 

 ers in their perfect state ; and the 

 common Cock-Cliafer, the larva of 

 which feeds upon and often does 

 great mischief to the roots of plants, 

 lives entirely upon leaves after it has 

 undergone its last change. 



Besides the species of Cock-Chafer 



above mentioned, is the Melolontha 



fullo, the largest of t!ie European 



kinds, being over an inch long ; the 



body black, and spotted with white. 



Many of the dung-beetles, among 

 which the Sacred Beetle of the 

 Egyptians, Scarabceus ^ gyptiorum , 

 holds a prominent place, arc remark- 

 able for inclosing their eggs in a 

 small pellet of dung, which they then 

 roll along with their hind-legs, until 

 they drop it into a hole which they 

 have dug for its reception. There 

 is a similar species in this country, 

 The Mimas, aS^. viimas, is a beautiful South 



THE UIMAS. 



the S. pilularius, familiarly called Tumble-Buy. 

 American species, of a rich golden-green color. 



