COLEOPTEROUS INSECTS. 
215 
subsists on the leaves of trees, but in the state of 
grub it consumes the roots of grass and other her- 
baceous plants. Its ravages, both in the early and 
final stage of its life, have often been described, and 
are unhappily better known than any efficient re- 
medy of easy application. The beautiful species 
represented (fig. 3, male ; fig. 4, female) is either 
not of such destructive propensities, or, what is 
more probable, too limited in numbers to accomplish 
much mischief. In this country especially, it is of 
very rare occurrence, and as the few examples that 
have occurred were generally found on the sea- 
shore, it has been questioned whether its appear- 
ance ought not to be ascribed to accidental causes, 
rather than to its being strictly a native of this 
country. It is nearly an inch and a half in length, 
of a dark-brown colour, having the whole upper 
surface irregularly marked with patches and spots 
of white. There is a pretty regular line of white 
down the middle of the thorax, and another, less 
regular, on each side of it. The antennae and 
legs are reddish brown. It is found occasionally 
in France, and in the more southern countries of 
Europe. 
