THE CAPRICORN-BEETLES. 93 



The antennae are long and tapering, and generally curved 

 like the horns of a goat, which is the origin of the name 

 above given to these beetles. The body is oblong, approach- 

 ing to a cylindrical form, a little flattened above, and taper- 

 ing somewhat behind. The head is short, and armed with 

 powerful jaws. The thorax is either square, barrel-shaped, 

 or narrowed before ; and is not so wide behind as the wing- 

 covers. The legs are long; the thighs thickened in the 

 middle ; the feet four-jointed, not formed for rapid motion, 

 but for standing securely, being broad and cushioned beneath, 

 with the third joint deeply notched. Most of these beetles 

 remain upon trees and shrubs during the daytime, but fly 

 abroad at night. Some of them, however, fly by day, and 

 may be found on flowers, feeding on the pollen and the 

 blossoms. When annoyed or taken into the hands, they 

 make a squeaking sound by rubbing the joints of the thorax 

 and abdomen together. The females are generally larger 

 and more robust than the males, and have rather shorter 

 antennae. Moreover, they are provided with a jointed tube 

 at the end of the body, capable of being extended or drawn 

 in like the joints of a telescope, by means of which they 

 convey their eggs into the holes and chinks of the bark of 

 plants. 



The larvae hatched from these eggs are long, whitish, 

 fleshy grubs, with the transverse incisions of the body very 

 deeply marked, so that the rings are very convex or hunched 

 both above and below. The body tapers a little behind, and 

 is blunt-pointed. The head is much smaller than the first 

 ring, slightly bent downwards, of a horny consistence, and 

 is provided with short but very powerful jaws, by means 

 whereof the insect' can bore, as with a centre-bit, a cylindri- 

 cal passage through the most solid wood. Some of these 

 borers have six very small legs, namely, one pair under each 

 of the first three rings ; but most of them want even these 

 short and imperfect limbs, and move through their bur- 

 rows by alternate extension and contraction of their bodies. 



