64 ORDER COLEOPTERA. 



the LiTAMD.v., taking the family name as usual from one of the most important genera it 

 c<>ntai!i< : in tliis instance it is the Lucanus damn, an d. ngated ~t ut insect, and furnished 

 with strong and projecting mandibles, c speciallj in the mal< s. 'I heu antennae are elbowed, 

 ami the terminal knob is constructed after the fashion of the teeth of a comb/ r is pectinate: 

 they consist of only three terminal teeth, somewhat separated from each other, but near 

 enough to come within the definition of lamelliccrn bcttlcs (Sec Plate \ii, fig. 7, n, o). 



The second division of the Lamellicoekes embraces all tin-,-' hose antennse 



terminate in haves or lamellae, consisting usually of three pieces, which fold together or 

 lie in contact like the leaves of a hook. This division received the name of Petalocera from 

 Di-.mkkil : it contains many insects which belonged to the genus Si of Linkecs. 



The antennae differ from those of the insects of the Family Lucanidx:, inasmuch as they 

 are not elhowed ; and the number of joints is variable, eight, nine or ten. In some groups, 

 the males an- remarkable for their appendages upon the head or thorax, either in the form 

 of horns or protuberances. Some of the largest insects belong to this division. 



The habits of the insects of this division are various : - me, and probably the majority, 

 feed upon refuse matter, some upon excrement, Some upon haves. and others upon flowers. 

 Their larvae are conspicuous for their size : they are of a soft consistence, of a whitish 

 color, and furnished with strong mandibles. We find them in the vegetable mould, usually 

 coiled, or in decaying locc^. They have fourteen rings, including the head, and the rings or 

 segments are transversely grooved. 



1" i the diversity of character which exists in this great division, it has been subdii ided 

 into ten families. The first is the Geotrupid^: : their maxillary lobes are membranous, the 

 mandibles are porrected, and the elytra cover the abdomen ( Plate xii, figs. 1, 2, 3, 5, 8). 

 Their antennse have ten or eleven joints ; and their bodies are globose, or thick and more 

 or less rounded and full. Their habits are peculiar : they feed upon excrement, though 

 some are said to feed upon root<. 



The Scarabxid-e constitute the second family of this great division. They are furnished 

 with a shieldlike extension in front, the clypcus, which extends over the mouth ; and their 

 antenna? are eight- or nine-jointed, with the end terminating in a three-leaved club. The 

 middle leers are inserted more widely apart than the others : the posterior legs are far 

 behind; the scutellum is not present; and the elytra are shortened behind, leaving the 

 abdomen exposed. The claws are minute, and the anterior tibia 1 are expanded and tri- 

 dentate externally, armed with a single spur. The insects feed upon excrement, and the 

 the greater proportion of the family reside in warm climates. They are many of them ball- 

 rollers ; and to aid them in this work, their hindlegs are long and inserted far behind, 

 which gives them a grotesque appearance when walking. They fly mostly by d;:\ . ( Plate 

 xii, figs. 5, 7.) 



The third family of Macli.ay is called Aphodiiixe. They too are excrement-eaters : they 

 are oval and rounded at the posterior extremity. In this family we find the minute instead 



