INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE VINE. 299 



bisidcis dentata forcipibus in cacumine. This by no means 

 agrees with the little bent horns of that kind of beetle which is 

 considered by some to be alluded to in this passage. 



Pliny's second kind ofScarabams seems to me to be also the 

 second sort mentioned by Horus Apollo ; it has, according to 

 that author, two horns, and resembles a bull, and is dedicated 

 to the moon. 



We think that this is the same species as the large dung- 

 beetle with two horns, brought from Egypt by M. Savigny, 

 and named by him Midas. It is sculptured in the temple of 

 Karnak, and appears, according to Latreille, to belong to the 

 genus Onitis, recently separated from the other Coprophaga. 1 



M. Millin, in his notice on the Egyptian sculptures, in the 

 Bibliotheque du Roi, says, that he saw in the Cabinet of Anti- 

 quities of St. Genevieve the figure of a Scarabams, which he 

 considered to be S. Mimas. In this, however, M. Millin is 

 mistaken, for S. Mimas is a species peculiar to America; but 

 the error of this worthy archaeologist is by no means an 

 important one, for S. Mimas is copraphagous, like the Egyptian 

 Midas, and in colour resembles it also. We may conclude, 

 therefore, that the Egyptian figure mentioned by M. Millin 

 represents Onitis Midas, found in Egypt by Savigny. 



The third kind of beetle mentioned by Pliny as used as an 

 amulet against the quartan ague, was called "the fuller," (fullo) ; 

 it was spotted with white ; they cut it in two, and tied a half to 

 each arm, while the two other kinds were only tied to the left 

 arm. Tertium qui vocatur fullo, albis guttis, dissectum utrique 

 lacerto adligant, eastern sinistro. 



No commentator has said any thing on this remarkable 

 passage, or respecting the insect known to the Romans by the 

 name of Fidlo : naturalists have not been equally careless. 



Mouffet, in his posthumous work, published in 1634, de- 

 scribes the largest species of European cockchaffer, which is 

 1^ inch long, and is readily known by the white spots on its 

 prothorax and elytra, and combats the opinion of those authors 

 who consider the Fullo of Pliny a dung-beetle, or an earwig ; 

 and argues that the Roman naturalist intended to designate the 

 large cockchaffer with white spots by this name. m 



Ray, whose History of Insects appeared in 1710, coincides 



1 Lat., JJfen».,pp. 148 and 153. Consult also Desc. del'Egypte, vol. iii. p. 34. 

 m Mouf. Insect, sive Minim. Animal. Theatrum, 1634, folio, p. 160. 



