Trogid^. INSECT&. Rutemd^. 
*• At Poona, in the moritli of June, 1826, some of my 
palankeen-bearers turned up with their pickaxes, from 
some depth below the surface, four hard perfect balls ; 
the pickaxe had injured one of the balls. The injured 
ball contained an amorphous animal mass, which I 
immediately pronounced to be the pupa of an unknown 
species of insect, at least unknown to me. To ascer- 
tain the insect proprietor of these curious domiciles, I 
placed two of the balls in a tin box, and continued for 
some months to watch them with attention ; but my 
patience being wearied out, I abandoned further care 
of them and put the box away. Thirteen months had 
passed away, and I had forgotten the balls, when on 
the night of the 19th of July, 1827, being in my study, 
I heard a low scratching sound. The scratching con- 
tinued the whole of the 20lh, and until I went to bed. 
Previously to retiring for the night, to facilitate the 
exit of the creature, I dropped water upon the ball to 
soften the very hard and compact crust. At sunrise on 
the morning of the 21st, I found a fine specimen of 
Copris at liberty, one-aiid-a-half inch long, and three- 
tenths of an inch wide.” 
The species of Phanceus are all from the New World. 
The Phanwus carnifex, or Bullchafer, is a common 
insect in the more southern parts of the United States. 
It is a square-built beetle, with abdomen and elytra 
metallic green. The thorax is rough and of a burnished 
copper hue, and the head in the male has a tall horn, 
bent back over the thorax. 
Fig. 86. 
Phanaeiis pegasus. ' a atitenna. b maxillary palpus, c anterior leg. 
Fig. 86 is that of the male of a Mexican Phanceus, 
with an outline of its head and thorax, viewed in front. 
It is copied from Sturm’s Catalogue. 
Family— TROGID^. 
A small family of generally dull, darkling, rough- 
coated beetles, found often on dried animal substances. 
1 only once took a Trox, under the loosened bark of a 
post. The cuts in the margin show the form of a 
British Trox and the larva of the Trox carotinus. 
There are three species of Trox, and four if with 
Westwood and others you regard the sand-frequenting 
genus PEgialia as a member of the family. In the 
woodcut (fig. 87) is given the profile of a species of 
21 .') 
Ceratocanthus, as I long ago named the genus Acantho- 
cerus, from that name having been preoccupied in 
natural history. Species are found in the Old World, 
though America is the metropolis. Phoherus has stiff. 
Fig. 87. 
Trox sabulosus — a larva of T. carotinus. 
h Sphaeromorphus basilicus. c Ceratocanthus nitens. 
bristle-like hairs all round it. It is an African genus 
without wings. Mr. Macleay, who founded this genus, 
remarks that he fancies it must not feed on dried 
animal substances, because his great experience has 
shown him that all “ insects intended to live on animal 
matter, partially dispersed and collected in masses, are 
furnished with wings in order to convey them the more 
rapidly to the objects pointed out by their instmcts.” 
Family— BUTE LID^. 
A very extensive family of Beetles, chiefly natives 
of the New World. Many of them are very sump- 
tuous insects, especially the species of Chrysophora. 
One of these, the Chrysophora macropus, has been 
named the “Kangaroo Beetle” from its immensely 
developed hind legs, large in the female, but much 
larger in the male. The.se legs are used for clinging, 
not for leaping, like the Halticidce, or the species of 
Orchestes and other beetles. Its delicate rich green, 
laid on, as it were, thickly and smoothly, and actually 
as if translucent ; the red washes on the legs and. under 
side contrast well, and the lovely blue tarsi are quite 
exquisite with the green. There is a very fine species 
called Victoria, after our gracious queen. 
One of the Rutelae, dark green, with three yellow lines 
on the thorax, was found plentifully by my friend Sir 
Robert Schomburgh in the flowers of that noble Guiana 
water lily, the Victoria regia. 
Areoda and Pelidnota are American genera, also 
found on plants. Macraspis, with its large scutellum, 
is also a New World species. Piperonota Harring- 
toni, is an Indian species, the male of which has a 
curious hooked spine on the back part of the thorax. 
Parastasia is another Asiatic genus, with many spe- 
cies from the Philippine and other islands of the East 
Indian archipelago. 
Hexodon, a curious flattened Madagascar genus, 
lives on the sand, but its true history is unknown 
to me. 
The genus Cyclocephala is an extensive one ; the 
species are found in flowers. 
Heterosternus is a rare Mexican genus — one of 
those forms often called “ connecting links.” 
