174 HOMES ■WITHOUT HANDS. 



examples in our own country, some of them being remarkable 

 for the beauty of their colours, as well as for the elegance of their 

 forms. The common Wasp Beetle {Clytus arietis) is a very 

 good example of the longicom beetles. It may be seen upon the 

 hedges, gently slipping in and out with a curiously fussy move- 

 ment, that very much resembles the restless gestures of the insect 

 from which it takes its name. Its slender shape and yellow- 

 striped body are indeed so wasp-like, that many persons are 

 afraid to touch one of these beetles lest they should be stung. 



The early life of the Wasp Beetle is spent entirely in darkness, 

 the grubs burrowing into wood, and therein undergoing their trans- 

 formations. They are curious little beings, white, roundish, but 

 flattened ; the rings of which the body is made are deeply marked, 

 the segments nearest the head are much larger than those which 

 compose the abdomen, and the head itself is small, but armed 

 with a pair of jaws that remind the observer of wire nippers, so 

 sharp are their edges, and so stout is their make. Old posts and 

 rails are favourite localities with this beetle, and the grubs can 

 almost always be obtained where timber has been left for any 

 length of time in the open air. 



Another well-known boring-beetle, is the large and beautiful 

 insect which is popularly called the Musk Beetle {Geranibyx 

 moschattis). Nearly an inch in length, with long and gracefully- 

 curved antennae, and slender and elegant in shape, it would 

 always command attention, even if it were not possessed of two 

 remarkable characteristics, colour and perfume. 



To the naked eye, and in an ordinary light, the colour of this 

 beetle is simply green, very much like that of the malachite. 

 But, when the sun shines upon its elytra, some indications of its 

 true beauty present themselves, not to be fully realized without 

 the aid of the microscope and careful illumination. If a part of 

 an elytron be taken from a Musk Beetle, placed under a half- 

 inch object glass, and viewed through a good binocular micro- 

 scope, by means of concentrated light, the true glories of this 

 magnificent insect become visible. The general colour is green, 

 but few can describe the countless shades of green, gold, and 

 azure, that are brought out by the microscope, and no pencil can 

 hope to give more than a faint and dull idea of the wonderful 

 object. Neither do its beauties end with its colours, for the whole 



