530 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



secure from the bees, whose stings can not penetrate the horny 

 mail in which it is incased. 



There is another beetle which is parasitic upon snails, and 

 which, in its larval and pupal states, is only to be found within 

 those molluscs. Its scientific name is Drilus flavescens, the latter 

 name being given to it in honor of its yellow-tinted wing-cases, 

 which present a pretty contrast with the black thorax. It is a 

 'little beetle, scarcely exceeding a quarter of an inch in length, and 

 is remarkable for the beautiful comb-like antennae of the male. 

 As for the female, she is so unlike her mate that she has been de- 

 scribed as a different insect. She has no pretensions to beauty, 

 and can scarcely be recognized as a beetle, her form being that of 

 a mere soft-bodied grub. Moreover, the size of the two sexes is 

 notably different. The male is, as haS already been observed, 

 only about a quarter of an inch long, while the female is not far 

 from an inch in length, and is broader than the length of her 

 mate, antennae included. 



This curious insect lives in the body of snails, the common 

 banded snail of our gardens being its usual prey. When it is 

 about to change into the perfect state, it makes a curious cocoon 

 of a fibrous substance, which has been well likened to common 

 tobacco, the scent as well as the form increasing the resemblance. 

 The grub or larva of this beetle bears a very great resemblance 

 to the perfect female, and, indeed, is so similar that none but an 

 entomologist could distinguish the two creatures. It is furnished 

 with a number of false legs, as well as with a forked appendage 

 at the end of the tail, by which it is enabled to force its way into 

 the body of its victims. The head is pointed, and the jaws are 

 very powerful. 



