434 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVII. 



amongst which we shall allude here to the Coprides or Dung beetles, 

 Melolonthides or Cockchafers proper, Dynastides and Cetoniides 

 or Rosechafers. 



The Coprides or duns beetles are the well-known beetles found 

 rolling balls of dung on the roads and commonly entering lighted houses 

 at night ; cumbersome bulky insects with a heavy lumbering flight. 

 They form a large group of beetles consisting of some 5,000 odd species. 

 Both beetles and larvae have the power of producing a stridulating 

 noise by rubbing certain segments over one another. 



By far the most interesting division of the Coprides are the Scara- 

 baeini. Many species of this division have the curious habit of rolling 

 about balls of dung and earth. The species of this division possess long 

 hind legs which are used for this purpose. Fig. 98 shows the beetle 



Copris reflexus pushing along a ball of 

 dung. This insect is to be found in 

 the North Khasi Hills in Assam. It is 

 on the structure of their legs that the 

 division is based. The Scarabaeus 

 is known to most people from its 

 connection with Egyptian mythology. 

 Many of the stone Scarabaei found in 

 Egyptian tombs represent some kind Scarabaeini and it has been 

 thought that the ancient Egyptians held these insects as sacred on 

 account of their peculiar habits. Scarabceus sacer is a well- 

 known form (Fig. 99). It is not improbable that the highly educated 



FiG. 9S." Copris reflexus (North 

 Khasi Hills). The bee- 

 tie is shown pushing 

 along a ball of dung. 



Fig. 99. Scarabaeus sacer (G-ilgit). $ left ; $ right. 



