THE COCKCHAFER 



27 



of the abdomen can be examined ; they are eight in 

 number. 



The feelers are plainly visible upon the head ; each is ten- 

 jointed. The terminal joints are prolonged on one side so as 

 to form leaflets, which are capable of being separated or closed. 

 The "club " of the male cockchafer contains seven such leaf- 

 lets, while that of the female has only six. 



Turn the cockchafer over, and examine the under-side. We 

 now see the jaws, which will be more particularly described 

 later on. The under-side of the prothorax exhibits a narrow 

 prosternum, flanked by two sockets for the fore-legs. Pull out 



Fig. 20. 

 Female cockchafer with expanded wings. X ^. 



one fore-leg, and remark that the socket is " closed " — i.e. sur- 

 rounded by the prothorax on all sides. The mesosternum 

 is short, wide from side to side, and undivided ; the sockets 

 for the intermediate legs lie between it and the metasternum. 

 This last is a much larger plate, marked by a median groove, 

 which indicates that it represents paired elements ; the sockets 

 of the hind limb hardly indent it, but occupy slits lying 

 between it and the first abdominal sternum. Six abdominal 

 sterna are easily counted ; the first is very slender, and hidden 

 by the hind leg, so that it may easily be overlooked. The 

 terga do not come opposite the sterna, but alternate with them, 

 and while there are eight terga externally visible, there are only 

 seven sterna, of which the first is insignificant in size. This 

 inequality is partly due to the squeezing-in of the bases of 



