55rt 



ARTICULATA. 



CAPRICORN BEETLE. 



almost incredible. Of these are the Tomicus typor/raphus and the JI>/lurf/us pinlperda. The 

 r..iiiH'r rocoives its name of the Tvi'ooiiAi-nic ]'>eetle, from the circumstance that the burrows 

 formed bv it in foodini; upon the soft wood, immediately within the bark, often present a rude 

 resemblance to printed characters. The devastations of these apparently contemptible foes are 

 sometimes so formidable in tlie pine-forests of Germany, that prayers for their restriction are 

 offered up in the churches; we are told that in the year 1783 at least a million and a half 

 of trees were destroyed bv these insects in the llartz forest alone. The To)nicus ])ini infests the 

 white-pine of this country, and the T. liminaris is suspected of producing the yellows in peach- 

 trees. Both of these insects are exceedingly minute, being about one-sixth of an inch long. 



THE LOXGICORNIA. 



The insects of this tribe, called Capricorn Beetles, and distributed throiighout most parts of 



the world, are generally distinguished by the great length of their 

 antennae, these being usually considerably longer than the body. 

 Most of these are large and elegant, often adorned with splendid 

 colors, or armed with spines upon the thorax and other parts of the 

 body, which sometimes render their appearance curious and even 

 grotesque. The Ceramhjx Alpinus, of Linnaeus, common in the Alps 

 and in France, where it is called Rosalie, is of an ashy-blue color, 

 and is a very elegant species. One of the handsomest British beetles 

 is the CalUchrovia moschata, belonging to this tribe. It is also dis- 

 tinguished by its peculiar musky odor. It is of a fine metallic-green 

 color ; but many exotic insects nearly allied to this, are far more splendid in aj^pearance. 



The larvae of some of these insects live in timber, often doing enormous injury to trees 



by eating large passages 

 through the solid wood. 

 They are soft, fleshy grubs, 

 generally widened in front, 

 and almost destitute of 

 feet. They appear to live 

 in this condition for sev- 

 eral years, and afterward 

 probably pass a consider- 

 able time in the pupa 

 state, as the perfect insects 

 have been known to eat 

 their way out of timber which had been for some time worked up into furniture. They have 

 been carried from one country to another in timber, and have thus become widely dispersed. 

 These beetles generally produce a sharp, grating sound, by the friction of the back of the pro- 

 thorax upon the base of the scutellum. 



There are several noted species analogous to the preceding. Among them is the Leptura 



mordax of Europe, three-fourths of an inch long, 

 which bites severely when captured with the hand. 

 The Clytus catnpcstris, of this country, is injurious 

 to fjillen chestnut timber, damaging it for rails. 

 The larva of the Saperda Candida, called Apple-tree 

 Borer, penetrates the young apple-trees just above 

 or below the surface, then cutting its way in a 

 winding manner upward, thus often proving de- 

 structive. The S. trip2inctata, called the Hasp- 

 berry Saperda, does mischief to the raspberry and 

 blackberry bushes, by laying its eggs in their stems ; 

 the griibs burrow in the pith, and destroy them. 



THE ROSALIE BEETLE. 



THE LEPT0RA MORDAX. 



