THE PILL-MILLEPEDE. 



695 



scattered rather sparely at the back of the head and between the eyes, but in the front 

 they are more numerous, and along the sides they are nearly as thick as the little 

 depressions on the end of a thimble. The species may also be known by the shape of 

 the eighth to the eleventh segments included, which are curiously pointed, looking as 

 if they had been snipped off diagonally with scissors. 



The two figures at either side of the illustration represent the same species in two 

 postures. The body is very smooth and beautifully colored, being of a yellowish 

 ground tint, boldly variegated with stripes and spots of deep black, so as to render it 

 extremely conspicuous. The front of the head, the eyes, legs, and antennae are pale 

 green in the preserved specimens, and are thought to be darker during life. The head 

 is marked with distinct points. This beautiful species is further remarkable from the 

 fact that no two specimens ever seem to be colored exactly alike. On the upper 

 ridge of the face there are from eight to ten little short spines. This species is a native 

 of Ceylon. 



Zepbronia verslcolor. (Rolled up.) 



Zeptironia Actaton. 



Zephroala verslcolor. (Extended.) 



These creatures are all natives of the hotter parts of the earth, but we have an allied 

 example in almost every garden, and certainly in every field throughout the greater 

 part of England. This is the PILL-MILLEPEDE (Glomeris mctrgindto). It is found 

 among moss and under stones, and, as it rolls itself up in a manner very similar to 

 that which is employed by the armadillo-woodlouse, is often mistaken for that being. 

 It may, however, be readily distinguished from that crustacean by the simple fact that 

 the legs have their origin on a single line traversing the middle of the under surface, 

 and that when the creature is walking, their extremities do not project beyond the 

 edges of the shelly covering. 



Like the armadillo-woodlouse, the Pill-millepede was formerly used in medicine, 

 probably because it looks somewhat like a pill, and may be found among the old stock 

 of druggists' shops, mixed with the veritable armadillo. Both these beings feed on the 

 same substances, namely, decaying animal and vegetable matter. It seems to be 

 rather a gregarious creature, as it is generally found in tolerable numbers in some 

 favored locality. 



