THE ANATOMY OF THE STAG BEETLE. 
25 
thereto. A description of it may be found in Science Gossip 
for Sept. 1865. If artificial light be employed, a condenser 
should be provided to bring the rays of the lamp to a focus on 
the object. The internal soft parts will require to be teased 
out and floated away from their attachments with great care, 
and a jet of water directed upon the dissection occasionally 
from a small glass syringe will keep it clear from floating 
particles that would otherwise obscure the view. Clean sections 
made with a sharp strong knife through the thorax in different 
directions will show the disposition of the muscles. Yery small 
insects, or parts of insects, must not be pinned, but dissected 
in a shallow receptacle, such as a watch-glass, and occasionally 
transferred for closer scrutiny to the stage of the compound 
microscope. The tools used, in addition to knives of different 
shapes, as sold by opticians, should comprise a pair of fine 
dissecting forceps, the points of which should accurately meet ; 
and needles, straight and crooked, mounted in light wooden 
handles, may be easily made by the operator himself, and prove 
extremely serviceable. The following books of reference are 
recommended, viz. Burmeister’s Manual of Entomology , Shuck- 
ard’s Translation, 1836 ; Todd’s Cyclopaedia of Anatomy , 
Article ‘ Insecta/ by Newport ; and Lowne’s Anatomy of the 
Blow Fly. 
EXPLANATION OF PLATE II. 
Fig. 1. The Stag Beetle, natural size ; mx, the maxillae ; p, maxillary palp ; 
p', labial palp ; Ir, labrum ; c, clypeus ; a, antenna ; e, epicranium ; 
pr, prothorax ; sc!, scutellum of mesothorax. 
Fig. 2. Ventral surface ; mx, p, and p', as before ; m, mentum ; par, para- 
glossae ; sm, submentum ; dp, lateral margin of dorsal plate of 
prothorax ; st, sternum ; cx, coxa ; epim, epimeron. In the meso- 
and metathorax, the corresponding parts are marked with a single 
or a double accent respectively, thus, epis", the episternum of the 
metathorax. The following numerals indicate the ventral plates 
of the abdomen. 
Fig. 3. Dorsal surface of mesothorax and following segments, the elytra 
and one wing being removed, the other one remaining to show its 
transversely folded condition; el, attachment of elytron; scl', 
scutellum of mesothorax; epis', episternum of ditto ; scm", scutum, 
and scl", scutellum of metathorax. The numerals indicate the 
dorsal plates of the abdomen, each of which is seen to be furnished 
with a spiracle. The postscutellum is concealed. 
Fig. 4. Transverse section of elytron, showing the thickened outer and the 
membranous inner integument, with the vesicular layer between. 
Fig. 5. Portion of vesicular layer highly magnified. 
