COLEOPTERA. 497 
The commonest among the Meloés is the Meloé proscarabeus, 
which is to be found in abundance, in the month of April, in the 
meadows near the bridge of Ivry, in the environs of Paris. The 
metamorphoses of the insects of this family had remained for a ° 
long time surrounded with an impenetrable veil of mystery, but the 
researches of Newport in England, and of M. Fabre (of Avignon) 
in France, has made known, in our days, phases, extremely 
curious, under which are accomplished the metamorphoses of 
the Meloé cicatricosus, and of the Setaris humeralis, a species 
which belongs to the same family.* These observations, of which 
we are about to give a rapid summary, will probably help towards 
unravelling the first states of Cantharis. 
The Sitaris humeralis (Fig. 543) takes no nourishment when 
arrived at the perfect state. When the female has been impreg- 

Fig. 543.—Sitaris humeralis. Fig. 544.—First larva of Sitaris humeralis 
(magnified). 
nated, she lays at the entrance of the nest of a solitary bee from 
two to three thousand very small whitish eggs, stuck together in 
shapeless masses. A month afterwards there come out of these 
eggs very small larve, of a shiny dark green, hard-skinned, armed 
with strong jaws, and long legs and antenne (Fig. 544). These 
are the first larvee. They remain motionless, and without taking 
food, till the following spring. At this period are hatched the 
male bees, which precede the appearance of the females by a 
25) Annales des Sciences Naturelles,’”’ 1857, 4e serie, tome vii. p. 300. 
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