474 



THE ROSE-CHAFER. 



THE ROSE- CHAFER. 



There are scarcely any of the Chafers more beautiful than thia 

 The upper parts of the female are of a shining green color, marked 

 transversely on the wing-cases with a few short white or yellowish 

 lines. The male is of a burnished copper-color, with a greenish cast. 

 These insects are somewhat more than an inch in length. They are 

 found on flowers, particularly on those of the rose and peony. 



The grubs that produce this beetle feed underground, generally at 



the roots of trees, and never 

 appear on the surface unless 

 disturbed by digging, or 

 some other accident. They 

 are thought to be injurious to 

 the gardener, by devouring 

 the roots of his plants and 

 trees. The female deposits 

 her eggs in the middle of 

 June. For this purpose she 

 burrows into solt, light 

 ground, hollowing out and 

 forming for them a proper 

 receptacle. When the ope- 

 ration is over, she returns to 

 the surface and flies off, but 

 seldom lives more than two 

 months afterwards. The 

 grubs are produced in about 

 fourteen days, and immediately seek out for food, which the parent 

 always takes care to have near the place where she lays her eggs. 

 As soon as they have attained sufficient strength, the young grubs 

 separate, each burrowing in a different direction, in search of roots. 

 They remain four years in this state, annually changing their skin till 

 they become of full growth, when they are of a cream- color, with 

 brown head and feet. During winter they eat but little, if at all, and 

 they retire so deeply into the ground as to avoid the effects ^f the 

 frost. 



About the month of March, at the end of the fourth year, the grub 

 forms a case of earth, about the size of a walnut, somewhere near 

 the surface, within which it changes into a chrysalis. In this state it 

 remains till the beginning of May, when it bursts out a perfect 

 Chafer. This is at first of a light green color, and very tender; but 

 soon acquires its proper hardness and strength. 



When the insect is touched it emits a fetid moisture, which, no 

 doubt, is a mole of defence against the attacks of its enemies. 



The structure of the alimentary canal in insects is wonderfully diver- 

 sified; not only are differences discoverable as we pass from species to 

 species, but the same individual will often be found to have a canal 

 quite different, according as it is examined in its grub or perfect state. 



ROSE-CHAFER. 



