96 STRANGE DWELLINGS. 



hatched, and from it proceeds a little white grub, which finds 

 itself at once in the midst of food, and begins to eat vigorously. 

 By the time it has devoured the whole of the contents of its 

 cocoon — if the mere empty shell may be so called — it is 

 ready for its change into the pupal form, and there lies in 

 the earth until it again changes its form and becomes a perfect 

 beetle. 



Perhaps the most extraordinary of these cocoons is that 

 which is represented in the illustration. This is made by one 

 of the gigantic beetles of the tropics. The insect which made 

 it has no English name, but is scientifically called Goliaihus 

 Drurii. This w^onderful cocoon is as large as a swan's egg, 

 and, as may be seen by reference to the illustration, has very 

 thin walls in proportion to its size. It is strengthened by a 

 remarkable belt, which runs around its centre, exactly like that 

 of the bullet which is used for the two-grooved rifle. How the 

 belt is formed is perfectly unknown, as is its use, unless the 

 strengthening of the walls be its only object. I have carefully 

 examined the cocoon itself, and specimens of the insect which 

 made it, and can find nothing which affords the least clue to 

 the difficulty. 



There is no doubt as to the species of insect which made it, 

 for the creature lies inside, a small portion of the ends of the 

 elytra and part of one leg being visible through the fracture. 

 The colour of the beetle is peculiarly beautiful, being rich dark 

 chocolate, soft and deep as made of velvet, and upon the 

 thorax and round the elytra are drawn broad streaks of creamy 

 white. On account of the large dimensions of the cocoon, it 

 has necessarily been reduced in size, but a common house-fl:y 

 is introduced into the drawing, in order to show the com- 

 parative size of the cocoon and the insect. 



Many of the Orthopterous insects are burrowers, either 

 digging holes wherein they themselves reside, or preparing a 

 subterranean habitation for their young. 



The best-known and most important of these insects is the 

 Mole Cricket {Grylloialpa vulgaris), called in some places 



