158 
BRITISH BEETLES. 
possess the faculty of contracting themselves into a 
ball, after the manner of Agathidium. 
The Melolonthvna have the outer lobe of the 
maxillae strongly toothed ; the mandibles robust, with 
no inner membranous border; the labrum very 
prominent, and deeply notched ; the anterior coxae 
transverse ; the scutellum rounded ; the body cylin- 
drical, and the ventral segments of the abdomen 
soldered together, with the points of junction effaced 
in the middle. 
In Melolontlia (the common “ cockchafer ”) the 
abdomen is produced behind into a strong point (this 
structure being, however, not constant in the genus) ; 
aud the club of the antennae is composed of seven 
joints in the male, and six in the female. The habits 
of this species and its larvae are, unfortunately, too 
well known. The smaller Rhizotrojus solstitialds 
(belonging to the section of the genus which has but 
nine joints to its antennae, for which Latreille founded 
the now abandoned genus Amphim alius), the “sum- 
mer-chafer/’ has a three-jointed club: it is con- 
spicuous for the long hairs iu the front of its body, 
and for its habit of wheeling in flight towards evening 
round any solitary tree. 
The Sericina have the labrum entirely confused 
with the clypeus; the outer lobe of the maxillae 
toothed ; the scutellum triangular ; the posterior 
coxae very large and much widened outwards ; the 
metasternum obliquely truncated on each side behind ; 
the segments of the abdomen not soldered together ; 
and the tarsi long and slender. 
Iu Smca the antennae are nine-jointed, but the club 
varies in number ; our British species, 8. hrunnea, 
having three joints, which are very long and con- 
