380 THE CUCUJO, OR FIRE-FLY OF BRAZIL. 
A very fine Lamellicorn is the ATLAS BEETLE, a native of the Philippines and part of 
India. Its colors are as follows:—The male is of a brilliant metallic olive-green, brightly 
polished and shining; but the female is of a much duller hue, having the thorax and the base 
of the elytra rough, and the green of a blackish cast. The length of the male is about three 
inches. 
A very odd-looking beetle is the Curysopnora. It belongs to the family Rutelide, the 
members of which belong entirely to the hot countries of the globe, and are most plentiful in 
the tropics. They do not seem to attain the gigantic dimensions which are found among the 
allied families, such as the Dynastidee, but are all very beautiful insects, on account of the 
extreme brilliancy of their coloring. The Chrysophora is quite remarkable for its curious 
form and glowing colors. The hind legs are extraordinarily developed, and seem dispro- 
portionately long and stout when compared with the moderately sized body. Another point 
of interest in this beetle is the structure of the ‘‘tibia’’ of the hind leg, 7. e., the joint imme- 
diately preceding the jointed foot. The lower part of this joint is prolonged into a stout and 
sharp spur, not unlike that on the leg of most gallinaceous birds. The object of this curious 
modification is not known 
THe HerouLtes BEETLE, which is represented in the accompanying full-page illustration, 
is an example of the family termed Dynastidee, or powerful beetles, on account of their 
enormous size and strength. They are the giants among insects; for, although many others 
exceed them in length or width, these creatures are so stoutly made, that any other insect 
becomes dwarfed when placed by their side. 
In this family, the males are remarkable for the strange and often grotesque horny 
processes which are developed from the head and thorax, the females being destitute of these 
ornaments. Most of the Dynastidee inhabit tropical regions, only a very few species being 
found in the moderate climates. They are generally night-fliers, ascending to considerable 
elevations, and during the day they hide themselves in holes in the earth, in hollow trees, or 
similar situations. Their food seems to be nearly, if not wholly, of a vegetable nature. 
We have one example of the Dynastida@, the family that embraces the giant Dynastes 
hercules, a beetle about six inches in length. Our species is found in the Southern States, 
and measures about two inches. 
PassinG by one or two families of more or less importance, we arrive at the Buprestidae, 
a family of beetles remarkable for the extraordinary gorgeousness of their tints, almost every 
imaginable hue being found upon these brilliant insects. 
They are found in many portions of the globe, but, as is generally the case with insects, 
their colors take the greatest intensity within the tropics. They fly well, and seem to exult 
in the hottest sunshine, where the bright beams cause their burnished raiment to flash forth 
its most dazzling hues. They are, however, slow of foot, and, when alarmed, have a habit of 
falling to the ground with folded limbs, as if they were dead. 
The CorysocuRroa is one of the finest of this splendid family. The sides of the thorax are 
covered with little round pits, something like the depressions on the head of a thimble, and 
are of a fiery copper hue. The head and middle of the thorax are light burnished blue, like 
that of a well-tempered watch-spring, and the elytra are warm cream-colored, diversified with 
patch of deep purple-blue at each side, and another at the tip. The Chrysochroa is a 
native of India. 
WE now come to the celebrated Cucuso, or FrrErLy or Braztu. Each side of the base 
of the thorax shows two light patches, which in the living insect are of a pale yellow, and at 
night burn with a lustre far surpassing that of the common glow-worm. When the insect 
expands its wings for flight two more fire-spots are seen beneath the elytra ; and when the 
creature approaches near the observer, the whole interior of its body seems to be incandescent. 
These insects are nocturnal in their habits, and at night in the forests, when the air is filled 
