CANTHARID. 531 
smaller snails, which it is able to devour even when retracted within the walls 
-of the shell. 
THE two insects represented in the accompanying illustration are found in 
England, and are here given as examples of the family Cantharidze, of which 
the BLISTER FLY, sometimes called SPANISH FLY, is the typical species. 
OIL BEETLE.—~(Meloe violaceus.) 
BLISTER, OR SPANISH FLY.—(Cantharis vastcatoria.) 
The Blister Fly is by no means a common species in England, though it 
has occasionally appeared in considerable numbers. In such cases, how- 
ever, it is extremely local, and does not appear to be disseminated through 
the country. Spain is famous for the multitudes of Blister Flies which are 
found within its limits, and the whole of South-western Europe is prolific 
in this remarkable beetle. 
The Spanish Fly is a handsome insect, nearly an inch in length, and of a 
rich silken green, with a gold gloss in certain lights. 
The second figure represents an insect belonging to the same family, and 
very common in England. It popularly goes by the appropriate name of 
OIL BEETLE, because, when handled, it has the property of pouring a 
yellowish oily fluid trom the joints of its legs. 
As may be seen by reference to the illustration, the abdomen is extremely 
large in proportion to the rest of the body, and the short diverging elytra 
descend but a very little way below the thorax. The oily matter that is 
poured from the joints is considered in some countries to be a specific for 
rheumatism, and is expressed from the insect for medicinal purpuses. 
The Oil Beetle is represented of the natural size, and its colour is dull 
‘indigo blue. 
WE now arrive at a vast group of beetles, embracing several thousand 
species, which are popularly classed under the name of WEEVILS, and may 
all be known by the peculiar shape and very elongated snouts. Many of 
these creatures have their elytra covered with minute but most brilliant scales, 
arranged in rows, and presenting, when placed under the microscope, a spec- 
MM 2 
