1U THE YOUNG NATURALIST. [September 



The sexual characteristics of this beetle is especially interesting 

 these being presumably for the ornamentation of the male and not for 

 any functional purpose are subject to very wild variation. On looking 

 over these particular specimens I note one remarkably fine male with 

 a very long horn on the clypeus, and the lateral points of the thorax 

 very prominent, others with the horn on the clypeus very short, and 

 the projecting points of the thorax entirely wanting in this respec* 

 being similar in form to the female. One especially small specimen 

 has the sexual characters so ill developed that it may be cither a male 

 or female, but I believe it to be the former. 



It makes similar burrows to Geotmpes though not so deep, and 

 generally in a more or less inclined position, whereas those of Geotrupe s 

 are always vertical. To obtain the beetle successfully and expedi 

 tiously some little practice is required. The best plan is to pass a 

 stick down the hole and retain it in position whilst digging as without 

 some guide when the earth falls in the exact place of the beetle is lost 

 and when this happens the beetles when found are often discovered in 

 an injured condition having been cut by the trowel. It is well always to 

 fill up the holes after digging as it alarms the farmer to find holes in 

 the fields and moreover it does do damage to a certain extent. 



Since the trowel was in my hand and ash trees were in sight , 

 visions of Dorcus, Sinodendron, and perhaps other good things appeared 

 before me. 



Ash trees are of frequent occurrence in this locality and in the 

 particular field in which I happened to be there were five isolated ones 

 and all more or less rotten and hollow. The second tree had a large 

 cavity at the bottom containing a quantity of debris, this I raked out 

 and looked over but it only revealed wood lice, centigredes and such 

 like. On reaching however up into the interior as far as possible I 

 found the wood soft enough to be poked out with the point of the 

 trowel, it was in fact in the condition which boys call " touch- wood.' 

 Almost immediately down tumbled Dorcus parallelopipedus and I soon 

 secured three others and doubtless could have got more if I had been 

 provided with some longer implement. The next tree was very 

 similar in appearance but no Dorcus appeared, I however turned out 

 one Sinodendron cylindricum. This beetle appears to be rather rare 

 about here or I do not know how to look for it. The other trees al- 

 though hollow had not cavities that CDuld be got at successfully. 



