910 PAiniiT T..- -CARABJ.II>.T^. 



the front oa^aties very large and c-losed behind: hind coxas fiat, 

 ti-ansvL'i;-!- ; front tibife palmate; tarsal claws geuerallj- eriiial. rarely 

 wanting. 



According to habit- the adults of the Scarabjeids are popularly 

 separated into two well-marked sronps. kno-ivn as the dung beetles, 

 or seavenger-s. and the leaf-chafers. The former have the legs stout, 

 the hind ones set far back behiad the middle of the hind-body. 

 They live upon putrefjing or (lecomi"jsia2 matter, such as the dung 

 of animals, decaying fungi and carrion. Of this .group the com- 

 mon -'tui able-bugs" and skin beetles (Trox) are weU-known ex- 

 amples. The leaf-ehaf«s have the leigs rather ^lender anil with the 

 hind legs attached at or before the middle of the hind-body. They 

 feed either upon the leaves of trees or the pollen and petals of 

 flowers, the "rose-bug-' and 3Iay-ueetles being familiar forms. 



The lar^-te or grubs of the lamellieorns are either white or yel- 

 lowish in hue, with a bro\vn, horny head bearing prominent mandi- 

 bles. They are usuallj' much wrinkled and enlarged toward the 

 hinder end. and when at rest lie partly eniled up. the tip of the ab- 

 domen almost touching the long siiin>' legs. They live in the 

 ground, ia deta^nng wood or in excrement. Those which live in the 

 ground are kno^vn as " white-grnlis. ' " and often do much damage to 

 the roots of grass, corn and other iilant:^. They wiU be more fully 

 mentioned in connection with their adults on later pages. Those 

 which live in dung and other refuse matter render man much valu- 

 able aid by removing from sight and smell a L'reat deal of filth. 



The family Srnrabffiida) comprises about lo.OOO desi-ril^ed spe- 

 cies, among them the lareest beetles kno-svn, and is best represented 

 in warm or tropical countries. The name of the family is from the 

 Latin Srari/hceiis or Searab, meaning '"a Vn-etle. " The Scarab of 

 the ancient Egyptians was a saered beetle belonging to this family, 

 which they held ia high veneration. It was placed by them in the 

 tombs with their dead. Its pic-ture was often painted on their 

 stone cofBns or sarcophagi and its image was carved in stone and 

 precious gems. The name scarab was als.j given by them to a gem, 

 usually of emerald, green feldspar or r.l vidian, cut in the form of a 

 beetle and engravt-il on the under face. 



About 600 speei.-s of the family are Ivnown from North America. 

 These are divided among three subfamilies, and these in turn iato 

 trilies and s-eneia. The lif.uMture is scattered among many papers, 

 mostly by Drs. LeConte and Horn, and vdll be mentioned under th.' 

 tribal or eeneria headinus. 



