146 
COLEOPTERA 
parasite, but in this case upon wasps and not bees—the 
Rhipiphoi'us paradoxus. This beetle is about three- 
eighths-of-an-inch long, and makes its home in the nests 
of the Wasps ( Vespa rufa and vulgaris ), and preys upon 
the young wasp grubs. Mr. Stone, Mr. Andrew Murray, 
and Dr. Chapman have personally investigated this in¬ 
teresting point. The Woolhope Club Transactions for 
1870 contain an admirable paper by the last-named 
gentleman, on “ The Life History of Rhipiphorus para¬ 
doxus.” In the division of the Atrachelia I shall 
mention only the Churchyard-beetle (. Blaps mortisaga ). 
In this family ( Blaptidoo ) the wing-cases are soldered 
together, and the wings are absent. The beetles are 
found in damp, dark, dismal dens, and are themselves 
dull in colour and sluggish in habit. Many possess a 
most nauseous odour, and they are very tenacious of 
life, being able to revive after some hours’ immersion in 
spirits of wine. 
The section of the Tetramera (or Pseudotetramera) 
is divided into three groups, viz., the Rhyncophora 
(Snout-beetles), the Longicornes (Long-horned-beetles), 
and the Phytophaga (Plant-eaters). 
The Rhyncophora will be known to my readers by 
the popular name of weevils; some have very long 
snouts, others short ones. It is a destructive tribe of 
beetles, and does immense damage to trees and various 
grains, and fruits. The larva of the Corn Weevil 
(Druchus granaris) does much mischief in granaries ; 
the Nut-weevil ( Balaninus nucum ), with her elongated 
rostrum, which eats a hole in the soft nut, in which 
she deposits an egg, and which, turning to a larva, eats 
the kernel, and leaves you the bitter dusty contents ; 
