238 
BRITISH BEETLES. 
with wool, — an easy operation, if an incision be made 
in the lower side of the body, and its contents taken 
out. The males are often very small; and, in some 
cases, have the sixth and seventh joints of the antennae 
enlarged and suddenly bent, so that the apex appears 
deformed. 
The transformations of these insects are, perhaps, 
the most wonderful of any that are yet known to us ; 
and it is chiefly on account of somewhat similar habits 
in their earlier stages that the Stijlopidie have been 
recently considered as coleopterous. 
The female of Meloe deposits from two to four 
separate batches of minute yellow eggs, some thousands 
at a time, though the number diminishes with each 
laying. These eggs are glued together, and deposited 
in small holes in the ground, dug by the parent beetle. 
After an interval of from three to six weeks, according 
to the temperature, the young larvae are hatched, and 
are extremely like minute pediculi, or bird-lice, being 
yellow, elongate, parallel, flattened, with rather long 
legs, and four long hairs at the apex of the last seg- 
ment. They appear to remain torpid for some time ; 
but, when once roused by sufficient warmth, exhibit 
extraordinary activity in traversing low plants, chiefly 
Ranunculacese or Chicoracex. From these they attach 
themselves, often in great numbers, to the hairy cover- 
ing of bees as they settle on the flowers of their 
temporary lodgings ; and also, sometimes, to certain 
hairy JDiptera, or two-winged flies, which closely 
resemble wild bees. In the latter case it is an un- 
fortunate attachment for the larvae ; as the Dipteru 
make no nest or provision for their offspring, so that 
the would-be parasite necessarily perishes of starva- 
