66 



larger mates, are considerably the more formidable of the two, their short, thick, sharp- 

 pointed mandibles, being provided for the purpose of boring holes in bark to deposit their 

 eggs, are very strong. 



This family is represented in Ontario by a small number of 

 insects, the most typical of which is Lucanus dama, Thunb. (Fig. 

 32), which is a large, smooth, brown beetle, of little more than 

 an inch in length. The jaws of the male are very long, and finely 

 pointed and are curved like a sickle and bear on their inner 

 edge, near the middle, a small sharp tooth. The head, to bear 

 these large mandibles, is necessarily large ; in the female it is 

 much smaller and narrower, and is densely covered with punc- 

 tures which give it a rough appearance. The eggs, which are 

 yellow and oval, are laid in a hole, made by the female, in the 

 bark of a tree, near the root, about the end of July, when this 

 beetle should be sought for. The grubs live in the trunks and 

 roots of several sorts of trees, but chiefly in old apple trees, willows 

 and oaks ; they are long, thick, nearly cylindric white grubs, of 

 Fig. 32. a verv fleshy consistency, closely resembling, in general appearance, 



the larvae of the Scarabceidce, but they are distinctly separated by certain characteristic 

 points in their internal structure, and by their bodies being destitute of the transverse fold- 

 ings so conspicuous in the latter. The larvae of the Lamellicornes are remarkable for having 

 their bodies curved, so that the end of the abdomen is drawn under the body, which pre- 

 vents them from crawling on a flat surface and necessitates their always lying on their sides. 

 The larva of Lucanus dama has a horny rust-coloured head furnished with two powerful 

 jaws, which it employs in gnawing the wood, upon which it feeds and which it reduces to a 

 kind of tan. The antennae are short. It has six reddish articulated legs, which are attached 

 to the first three segments of the body. When mature it forms a cocoon out of the minute 

 chips and debris which it has itself made during its life. In this cocoon it undergoes its 

 transformation to the pupa and perfect insect. In the pupa state the large mandibles or 

 horns of the male are folded down over the breast. Rosel, who studied thoroughly the 

 European representative of this family (Lucanus cervus) and discovered that the male and 

 female were one species and not two, as previously believed, says that that insect lives six 

 years as a larva. The injury which they cause is sometimes considerable, as they bore 

 not only into the solid wood but also into the roots of trees. 



It is supposed that the larvae of these insects are what were eaten by the Romans, as 

 a great delicacy, under the name of Cossus. 



The name of Pectinicornes or " comb-horned," has been proposed for this family, but 

 so far it has not been generally accepted by entomologists. 



The Petalocera of Dumeril (Scarabceus of Linnaeus) or second division of Lamellicorn 

 insects, is one of immense extent, being divided into more than 700 genera, comprising 

 some 6000 species. They are distinguished from the foregoing family by having the 

 antennae not abruptly bent into an angle, eight, nine or ten jointed and terminated by 

 a large mass, composed of several, generally three, plates, which shut and open at will. In 

 some species these plates are flat, so as to be placed side by side, in others the basal one 

 is hollowed so as to form a sort of box in which the intermediate plate is enclosed. The 

 mandibles do not exhibit any striking sexual variations ; but the head and thorax of the 

 males in some of the groups, are armed with horns and protuberances of the most 

 bizarre and diversified appearance, of which it is very difficult to conceive the uses. 

 The antennae of the males too, are occasionally developed more than those of the females. 

 The mentum is large and horny. The body is generally more or less convex, the legs 

 robust and as a rule toothed on the outer edge. 



These insects are almost all of them vegetable feeders, the greater part subsisting 

 upon it when in a state of decay. Some in the perfect state feed upon leaves and flowers, 

 and their larvce upon the roots of grass, etc., often causing great damage. In the colours 

 of these insects we find a conformity to their habits ; those that burrow under ground are 

 generally of black and obscure hues, while those that frequent leaves and flowers are often 

 splendidly attired. The origin of the name Scarabaeus is doubtful ; the word never occurs 



