66 
BRITISH BEETLES. 
reddish-copper or bluish-green beiDg their prevailing 
tones about the head and thorax, and their elytra 
being more or less shagreened or granulated, generally 
rich green or brown, with thick golden pubescence, 
which imparts a “shot-silk” like lustre. They are of 
moderate size, and rather robust in the body. The 
commonest, G. veslitus, has the sides and apex of the 
elytra, and the legs and antennas yellow ; it is about 
five lines in length, and may be found abundantly in 
very wet places, such as reedy spots on canal banks, &o., 
near London. 
The palm of beauty must, however, be conceded to 
Callistus, — as its name implies, “ the fairest of the 
fair.” Our single species, G. lunatus, is about a quarter 
of an inch long ; its head metallic, bluish or greenish- 
black ; its thorax heart-shaped, orange-red ; its elytra 
oval, orange-yellow (when alive, rose-pink), with a 
shoulder spot and two transverse bands deep black ; its 
legs are yellow tipped with black, and the entire insect 
has a delicate velvety appearance (Plate II., Fig. 1). 
It frequents chalky districts, and may sometimes be 
found under stones on the downs near Croydon. 
Under similar circumstances at Box Hill, and on the 
south-coast downs, the species of Licinus may be taken. 
One of them was, I believe, at first only known to be 
a British species from a single specimen having been 
caught in Cheapside, whither it must have had a long 
flight from its chalky haunts. This insect, L. silphoules 
(Plate I., Fig. 6), superficially resembles certain mem- 
bers of the genus Silpha iu the Nccrophaga : from 
which the beginner may distinguish it by its long 
slender antennas, — those organs in Silpha boing short, 
with an abrupt knob at the tip. It is about half an 
