26*4 
STAG-BEETLE. 
the leaves. This formidable-looking beetle some- 
times measures more than two inches in length, in- 
cluding the horns, which are a pair of very strong 
pincers, and of great use to the animal. The larva 
is generally found in the hollows of decayed oak- 
trees, where it lives among the rotten or decayed 
vegetable mould with which those cavities usually 
abound. The size of the insect in this state is 
very considerable, sometimes measuring nearly four 
inches. It is said to be five or six years in arriving 
at its full dimensions ; after which it prepares for its 
second state, by rolling itself round in the earth, 
till, with the help of a glutinous fluid which exudes 
from its body, it has formed a hollow, in which, 
after a certain time has expired, it becomes a chry- 
salis. The ball of earth which contains the future 
beetle is said to be considerably larger than a hen’s 
egg, and perfectly smooth within side. In the 
months of July and August these insects burst from 
their tombs completely formed, and of a deep chest- 
nut colour. 
