BEETLES DESTRUCTIVE TO COCO-NUT PALMS. 3 
and has the form of the perfect insect. It appears to remain 
but a short time in this state, for chrysalids are very rarely 
found. Hatched in the tree, it soon makes its way out, and 
eventually flies off to commence its work of destruction. The 
beetle varies a good deal in size, but is easily recognised. 
Large specimens are nearly 23 inches in length and very 
broad, of a dark brown or black colour, the chitinous coat 
being exceedingly hard. The head in the male is smail and 
provided with a blunt horn curved over towards the back, 
half an inch long. The thorax is about an inch long and three 
quarters of an inch broad, very hard and solid; it is smooth, 
and scooped out in front, so that it slopes towards the head. 
The back edge of this. depression is notched, and there are two 
small semicircular depressions on either side of the large one. 
The wing cases do not cover the body completely ; they are 
broad and oblong and raised over the back, smooth and shi- 
ning, but dotted all over with minute punctures. The under 
side of the body is red-brown, mostly hairless, but the mouth 
and all the face in front of the horn is covered with red hairs. 
The legs are strong and stout, the second joint being armed 
with sharp teeth, with the aid of which the beetle can tear its 
way into the tree. The female insect can be distinguished 
by its very short horn, not a quarter of an inch long, and by 
the much smaller depression in the thorax, which is not not- 
ched at the back, as it is in the male, than which, too, it is usu- 
ally smaller. The insects fly briskly at dusk, rather high in 
the air, attacking the palm trees at night. 
Destruction of Irees.—The grub of this insect is quite 
harmless, and indeed rather beneficial than otherwise, as it 
assists to convert rotting wood and other vegetable refuse 
into soil. Itis the perfeet insect that is so destructive. Its 
method of attack is as foilows.. It flies by night to a palm, 
and makes its way to the base ofa leaf-stalk, and burrows 
into the heart of the cabbage, making a large hole, from 
which projects a quantity of the fibre of the tree resembling 
tow. The appearance ofa tuft of this is evidence that the 
beetle has been at work. It remains in the hole usually all 
the next day, and may be captured in the burrow. It nibbles 
