200 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORKLD 
r ae 
that of a tortoise with the limbs partly with- 
drawn into the shell. Many different species 
are known, in some of which the wing-cases 
are streaked with brilliant metallic silver, 
which, however, fades away very shortly after 
death. The commonest of the British tor- 
toise-beetles is found on thistles. 
Another very large group of beetles is 
represented by the CELLAR-BEETLE, which is 
generally very common in old houses. This 
insect must not be confused with the so- 
called ‘‘ Black-beetle,” from which it may 
easily be distinguished by its deep black 
colour, its very much shorter feelers, and the 
curious point into which the end of its body 
is produced. It hides away in dark corners 
by day, and crawls slowly about by night. 
Related to it is the MEAL-wWORM, so much 
in request for the food of cage-birds, which 
is usually very plentiful in granaries. 
Very different in appearance, yet belong- 
ing to the same group, is the handsome 
CARDINAL BEETLE, a bright scarlet insect 
which is not uncommon in summer. It may 
sometimes be found lurking behind pieces 
of loose bark, and is also fond of resting 
upon the flowers of umbelliferous plants in the hot sunshine. A second species, which is not 
nearly so plentiful, may be distinguished by the fact that the head is entirely black. 
Still more curious is the RHIPIPHORUS BEETLE, which is parasitic within the nests of 
wasps. Where the egg is laid, or how the grub first finds its way into the nest, no one has 
yet succeeded in discovering; but having made its entry, the insect proceeds to burrow into 
the body of a wasp-grub, and lives within it for several days, feeding upon its flesh mean- 
while. After increasing considerably in size, it creeps out of the carcase of its victim and 
changes its skin, after which it resumes its interrupted meal, and continues to feed until the 
last vestige of the wasp-grub has been devoured. It then changes to a chrysalis in the 
cell, and the perfect insect appears a few days later. Oddly enough, the wasps appear to take 
no notice of its presence, and never attempt to molest it. The two sexes of this beetle are 
quite unlike one another, the male having the wing-cases yellow and the feelers heavily plumed, 
while the female is black, with the feelers only slightly toothed. 
Most singular of all the insects belonging to this order, however, is the strange little 
STALK-EYED BEETLE, which spends the greater part of its life half buried in the body of a bee. 
In this insect the feelers are branched, somewhat like the antennules, or lesser feelers, of a 
lobster, and the eyes, which are comparatively few in number, are set at the ends of short 
foot-stalks. The male has very narrow wing-cases, but extremely large wings, which have a 
milky appearance during flight that can hardly be mistaken. The female has no wings at all, 
and in general aspect is nothing more than a grub. In early spring a great number of 
solitary bees are infested by this extraordinary parasite, which burrows into their bodies under 
cover of the projecting edges of the segments, and there remains feeding upon their internal 
juices for several weeks, with only just the tip ofits tail protruding. When fully fed, it emerges 
from the body of its involuntary host, leaving a large round hole behind it, which frequently 
closes up and heals. In any case, strange to say, the ravages of the parasite appear to have but 
little effect upon the health of the bee. 
Phots by HW. P. Dando, F.Z.S. 
MUSK-BEETLE 
The odour of this beetle may often be detected at a distance of twenty or 
thirty yards 
