THE GOLDSMITH AND GRAPE-VINE BEETLES. 25 
like burnished gold on the top of the head and thorax ; the 
under-side of the body is copper-colored, and thickly cov- 
ered with whitish wool ; and the legs are brownish yellow, 
or brassy, shaded with green. These fine beetles begin to 
appear in Massachusetts about the middle of May, and con- 
tinue generally till the twentieth of June. In the morning 
and evening twilight they come forth from their retreats, 
and fly about with a humming and rustling sound among 
the branches of trees, the tender leaves of which they de- 
vour. Pear-trees are particularly subject to their attacks, 
but the elm, hickory, poplar, oak, and probably also other 
kinds of trees, are frequented and injured by them. During 
the middle of the day they remain at rest upon the trees, 
clinging to the under-sides of the leaves, and endeavor to 
conceal themselves by drawing two or three leaves together, 
and holding them in this position with their long unequal 
claws. In some seasons they occur in profusion, and then 
may be obtained in great quantities by shaking the young 
trees on which they are lodged in the daytime, as they do not 
attempt to fly when thus disturbed, but fall at once to the 
ground. The larvae of these insects are not known ; prob- 
ably they live in the ground upon the roots of plants. The 
group to which the goldsmith-beetle belongs may be called 
Rutilians (Rutilid.e), from Rutela, or more correctly Itutila, 
signifying shining, the name of the principal genus included 
in it. The Rutilians connect the ground-beetles with the tree- 
beetles of the following group, having the short and robust 
legs of the former, with the leaf-eating habits of the latter. 
The spotted Pelidnota, P elidnota punc- 
tata (Fig. 9), is also arranged among the 
Rutilians. This large beetle is found on 
tbe cultivated and wild grape-vine, some- 
times in great abundance, during tbe 
months of July and August. It is of an 
oblong oval shape, and about an inch 
long. The wing-covers are tile-colored, 
4 
Fig. 9. 
