587 
solid timber; a number (to which belong the sacred beetles of 
Egypt) are useful from their habits of burying the excreta of 
animals, and so directly fertilising the soil. In England, I believe, 
it is only beetles belonging to the sub-families Melolonthides and 
Cetoniides that are known as cockchafers, but in Australia any large 
lamellicorn is spoken of as such: members of the sub-family 
Rutelides (to which Anoplostethus belongs) being commonly spoken 
of as cockchafers. In Europe and America a number of species 
have been recorded as extremely destructive during certain years. 
In France and elsewhere, large areas of grass and cereals have been 
entirely destroyed by having the roots eaten, the grass withering up 
and blowing away, so that fields were left entirely bare. When full 
grown, the cockchafers feed upon leaves and petals of flowers, and 
occasionally do serious harm from the great numbers in which they 
occur, and their occasionally migratory habits. The species now 
treated on is one which is found only in this State, and is ex- 
tremely common during late spring and summer, nevertheless, un- 
less specially looked for, it is seldom seen as it only flies at night, 
remaining concealed during the day underground or on the shady 
side of a leaf; on a sultry night a specimen may be sometimes taken 
at a lamp or other light. During November and December, at dusk, 
I have seen swarms of these insects flying around lemons, pear, 
peach, and other fruit trees; on examining these trees afterwards, 
large numbers of leaves were noticed to have been partly eaten. 
The larve feed upon the tender roots and the larger roots of 
fruit-trees, vines, buffalo, couch, Cape lilac, etc., and their presence 
is often unsuspected, the damage, if noticed, being put down to 
poorness of soil, want.of water, or other cause. They probably 
pass a couple of years underground before changing to pupa, 
which state must last for but a short period, but probably for several 
months. 
The beetle is about an inch in length and rather bulky, and it 
is of a beautiful opalescent green, rendered still more beautiful by 
placing the insect in water or spirits; its shape, as also that of the 
larva and pupa, has been well shown by Mr. Fuller in the accom- 
panying wood block. The larve has the usual shape of a lamelli- 
corn, and, with other species, may often be noticed whilst ploughing 
or digging is being carried on: numbers may often be noticed under 
logs in damp situations. The pupa is enclosed in a brittle, sandy 
cocoon, differing in this respect from that of the wood-eating 
species, which are usually hard and formed of triturated wood and 
excrement. 
The larve (at least so far as my observations extend) appear 
to be free from internal parasites; they are, however, attacked by a 
small semi-transparent mite, sometimes in considerable numbers. 
The winged beetles frequently contain the maggot of a fly belonging 
to the Tachinidae, which, when fully developed, is about the size of 
