54 
THE ORDER OF COEEOPTERA. 
A. Middle aud hind tarsi with the first four joints short; the last- often as long as all the others- 
body oblong ; thorax furrowed, and narrower than the elytra ; size small Hiclophokus. 
A A. Middle and hind tarsi with second joint elongated, first very short ; body oval ; thorax as 
wide at base as elytra. 
B. Me tisternum keeled and prolonged baok ward into a sharp spine; tarsi flattened; size large 
or very large — .Hyduophilus. 
B B. Metasternum not prolonged ; tarsi not compressed ; size small or very small. 
C. Hind tibia? and tarsi ciliate; soutellum elongated Bbiiosus. 
CC. Hind tibice and tarsi not ciliate; soutellum regularly triangular 11 YimOBllis. 
AAA. Middle and hind tarsi with the first joint elongated ; body short and sub globular ; size very 
small; not aquatic; found in cow-dung Sphckiumum. 
Tribe IV. 
LAND SCAVENGER-BEETLES. 
Putrivora terrestria, Nkcromiaga partly, Latreille. 
This tribe embraces an extensive series of 7 useful scavengers, whose 
office it is to hasten the decomposition and removal of dead organic 
matter. The typical species are found upon dead animals or other de- 
composing animal substances. Some of the smaller species are found 
under the bark of dead trees; whilst others feed upon fungi, especially 
those which grow upon decaying trees. The only other insects which 
can be compared with these in usefulness as scavengers, is the extensive 
family of Muscidcc , in the two-winged Hies. It is interesting to observe 
the order in whicli these various tribes of scavenger insects perform their 
respective parts. First come the Muscida-, which, in the form of carrion 
Hies, deposit their eggs or fly-blows upon dead animal matter at the 
first moment of decay, and, in very hot weather, almost immediately 
after life has ceased. Soon after these come the carrion-beetles, the 
Silphai aud Necrophori, whose larvte, like the maggots of the flesh-flies, 
are seen revelling in the putrescent matter at the most offensive stage 
of decomposition. When the softer parts have been devoured and only 
the osseous and ligamentary portions remain, other families of soavou 
gers succeed, namely : the skin-beetles, Ttcrmestidc c, and the bone-beet les, 
Necrobii and Nitidulie , which adhere to the dried carcass as long as any 
vestige of animal matter remains. 
The scavenger-beetles, with a few exceptions, are readily distinguished 
from the other pentainerous Coleopt.era by the form of their an ten me, 
which, in the great majority, are strongly clavate, aud sometimes capitate 
or knobbed. 
The number of joints in the tarsi are much more variable in this than 
any other tribeor section ; and though the larger species very uniformly 
possess five joints in all the tarsi, in many of the very small species one 
of the joints, especially in the posterior tarsi, is either rudimeutal or 
wanting. The place of these insects in the system lias to be determined 
therefore by the examination and collection of their other characters.* 
* See suggestions on pages 30 to 31. 
