SCA 
Common scapements consist of the swing 
wheel and pallets only. See Horology, 
&c. 
SCAPOLITE, in mineralogy, a species 
of the Flint genus, is of a greyish wliite co- 
lour, passing into greenish grey j it occurs 
massive, but most commonly crystallized in 
long, thin, often acicular prisms. Externally 
it is glistening ; internally it is shining and 
glistening ; its lustre is between resinous 
and pearly. It is brittle and frangible. 
Specific gravity about 3.7. Before the blow- 
pipe it intumesces, and melts into shining 
white enamel. It is found in the iron-stone 
mines in Norway. Its crystals are some- 
times mi.xed with mica, calc-spar, and fel- 
spar. It is composed of 
Silica 48 
Alumina 30 
Lime 14 
Oxide of iron t 
V’fater 2 
oT 
Loss 5 
too 
SCARABA2US, in natural history, the 
beetle, a genus of insects of the order Co- 
leoptera. Generic character ; antenn® cla- 
vate, the club lamellate ; feelers four ; fore- 
shanks generally toothed. In this genus 
there are several hundred species, in four 
divisions, which are distinguished by the 
form of their feelers. 
S. Hercules, or Hercules beetle, is the 
most remarkable species, as well injsize as 
in beauty. It is five or six inches long ; the 
wing-shells are of a smooth surface, of a 
bluish-grey colour, marked with round, 
deep- black spots of different sizes 5 . from the 
upper part of the thorax proceeds a horn of 
great length, in proportion to the body ; it 
is sharp at the tip, and is furnished through- 
out its whole length with a fine, short, vel- 
vet-like pile, of a brownish-orange colour ; 
from the front of the head also proceeds a 
strong horn, like the other, but not furnish- 
ed with any pile. This insect is found in 
several parts of South America, where great 
numbers are said to be sometimes seen on 
the mamraee-tree, rasping off the rind of 
the slender branches, by working nimbly 
round tliem with the horns, till they cause 
the juice to flow, which they drink to intox- 
ication, and in this state fall senseless from 
the tree. This fact has been controverted 
by the learned Fabricius. 
In this country, the S. raelolontha, or 
SCA 
cock-chaffer, is very common. The larva 
inhabits ploughed lands, and feeding on the 
roots of corn ; and the complete insect 
makes its appearance during the middle 
and the decline of summer. This insect 
sometimes appears in such prodigious num- 
bers, as almost to str ip the trees of their fo* 
liage, and to produce mischiefs nearly ap- 
proaching to those of the locust-tribe ; they 
are thus described in the “ Philosophical 
Transactions ’’ for the year 1697, by Mr. 
Molineux. These insects were first noticed 
in this kingdom in 1688. They appeared 
on the south-west coast of Galway, brought 
thither by a south-west wind, one of the 
most common, I might almost say, trade- 
winds, of this country. From hence they 
penetrated into the inland parts towards 
Heddford, about twelve miles north of the 
town of Galway : liere and there in the ad- 
jacent country, multitudes of them appear- 
ed among the trees and hedges in the day- 
time, hanging by the boughs in clusters, 
like bees when they swarm. In this pos- 
ture they continued, with little or no mo- 
tion, during the heat of the sun; but, to- 
wards evening or sun-set, they would all dis- 
perse and fly about with a strange hum- 
ming noise, like the beating of distant 
drums, and in such vast numbers, that they 
darkened the air for the space of two or 
three miles square. Persons travelling on 
the roads, or abroad in the fields, found it 
very uneasy to make tlieir way through 
them, they would so beat and knock them- 
selves against their faces in their flight, and 
with such a force as to make the place 
smart, and leave a slight mark behind them. 
In a short time after their coming, they had 
so entirely eat up and destroyed all the leaves 
of the trees for some miles round, that the 
whole country, though in the middle of sum- 
mer, was left as bare as in the depth of win- 
ter ; and the noise they made in gnawing 
the leaves, made a sound much resembling 
the sawing of timber. They also came in- 
to the gardens and destroyed the buds, 
blossoms, and leaves of all the fruit-trees 
so that they were left perfectly naked ; nay 
many that were more delicate than the rest, 
lost their sap as w’ell as leaves, and quite 
withered away, so that they never recover- 
ed again. Their multitudes spread so ex- 
ceedingly, that they infested houses, and 
became extremely offensive and trouble- 
some. Their numerous young, hatched from 
the eggs which they had lodged under 
ground, near the surface of the earth, did 
still more barm in that close retirement 
