182 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE FARM 
squeeze in under the loose bark; woodpeckers, that cut 
deep holes to find the borers; and raccoons and bears 
that tear rotten logs to pieces with their claws, searching 
for grubs to eat. Each fallen log is a center of considerable 
resident population, and entertains numerous foreign visitors. 
A few of the more common and characteristic residents are 
shown in figures 70 and 71. 
The following brief statement of group characters may 
further aid in their recognition. Most of the resident 
insects found in logs will be: 
I. Caterpillars, (Order Lepidoptera) having a long cyl- 
indric body, with a brown shield covering the first segment 
behind the head, and a tuberculate, spinous skin. These are 
moth larvee fig. 7ox. 
II. Beetle larvae, (Order Coleoptera) having a distinct 
head, usually small legs also, no brown shield on the first 
segment after the head, and a great variety of form and size. 
Beetles are the most important of wood-destroying insects, 
and a number of the families of beetle larvee may be recog- 
nized by the following characters: 
1. The true borers (members of the families Buprestidee 
and Cerambycide), having the long, straight body 
greatly widened and flattened toward the front 
end, the skin naked, pale and wrinkled, and the 
legs rudimentary. These perforate the hardest 
woods. 
2. Theengraver-beetles (Scolytidee), having short, thick, 
arcuate bodies that are usually legless, naked, 
wrinkled, and white. 
'3. ‘“Wire-worms” (Elaterids), having very smooth 
cylindric, elongate bodies, small legs, shining 
yellowish or brown skin, and a horny disc ter- 
minating the abdomen above, the margin of the 
disc being toothed or sculptured (fig. 7oy). 
