206 
NATURAL HISTORY OF 
holes dug in the earth or in the decomposed trunks 
of trees, or they are observed running along the 
pathways in the woods. On the approach of night 
they issue from their retreats, and fly around the 
trees at a considerable height above the ground, 
producing at the same time a loud noise. It is then 
that they seem to procure their food ; and they are 
sometimes found in the morning under the leaves 
or clinging to the branches of trees. Although their 
flight is dull, it is rather rapid, and can be prolonged 
for a considerable time. They all produce a shrill 
noise by rubbing the elytra against the abdomen. 
The females are in general more common than the 
males, and are almost always without horns. Among 
the few exceptions to this rule may be mentioned 
S. Pan y the most common species in Brazil, the fe- 
male of which has a horn of some size on the head, 
and an excavation on the thorax. The latter sex is 
common, while the male is rare. 
The first species selected to illustrate this genus 
is the largest, and in some respects one of the most 
remarkable that it contains. It is named the Her- 
cules Beetle : — 
