Microscopical Essays. 



the belly is of the fame blue colour with the elytra and head. 

 This little animal, when viewed by the naked eye, fcareely 

 appears to deferve any notice ; but when examined by the 

 microfcope, it is one of the moft pleaftng opake objects we 

 have. 



This infect is found in June, on the afparagus after it has run 

 to feed. De Geer fays, that it is very fcarce in Sweden. 



Fig. 3, Plate XX. 



The infecl which comes at prefent under our infpe&ion is 

 peculiarly adapted to fhew the advantages of the microfcope, 

 which alone will difcover the peculiarities of it's figure ; this is fo 

 remarkable, that the naturalifts appear undetermined as to its 

 genus. Geoffrey formed a new one for it, under the title of 

 notuxus, in which he has been followed by Fabricius ; even Lin- 

 naeus himfelf could not determine at firft where to place it, for in 

 the Fauna Suecica he makes it an attelabus, but in the laft edition 

 of the Syftema Naturae he has fixed it as a meloe, calling it the 

 meloe monoceros ; but ftill he adds, " genus difficile determinatur 

 forte huic proximum." Both Geoffroy and Schseffer have given 

 figures of it, but as they had not that kind of microfcope which 

 would a flirt them, their figures are imperfect. 



The head is black, and appears to be hid, or buried, under 

 the thorax, which projects forwards like a horn ; the antennae are 

 compofed of many articulations, and with the feet are of a dirty 

 yellow. The hinder part of the thorax is reddifh, the fore-part 

 black. The elytra are yellow, with a black longitudinal line 



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