558 
THE STUD Y GF INSECTS. 
viduals of this species were thought to be males, and a race 
of males symbolized a race of warriors. This latter super¬ 
stition was carried over to Rome, and the Roman soldiers 
wore images of the Sacred Beetle set in rings. 
Our common tumble-bugs are distributed among three 
genera: Cant ho n, Copris , and Phanceus. In the genus Can- 
thon (Can'thon) the middle and posterior tibiae are slender, 
and scarcely enlarged at the extremity. Canthon Icevis (C. 
lae'vis) is our most common species (Fig. 675). In Copris 
(Co'pris) and Phaiiceus (Pha-nae'us) the middle 
and posterior tibiae are dilated at the ex- 
t tremity. In Phanceus the fore tarsi are want- 
f 1 ing, and the others are not furnished with 
\ 1 claws; the species are brilliantly colored. 
fig. 67s. Phanceus carnifex (P. car'ni-fex), with its rough 
copper-colored thorax and green elytra, is one of our most 
beautiful beetles, and is our best-known species. It is 
about two thirds inch in length, and the head of the male is 
furnished with a prominent horn. In Copris all the tarsi are 
present and furnished with claws. Copris Carolina is a large 
well-known species, which measures more than one inch in 
length. 
II. The Apliodian (A-pho'di-an) Dung-beetles . — These 
are small insects, our common species measuring from one 
sixth to one third inch in length. The body is oblong, 
convex, or cylindrical in form, and, except in one small 
genus, the clypeus is expanded so as to cover the mouth- 
parts entirely. These insects are very abundant in pastures 
in the dung of horses and cattle, and immense numbers of 
them are often seen flying through the air during warm 
autumn afternoons. More than one hundred North Amer¬ 
ican species have been described ; of these seventy belong 
to the genus Aphodius (A-pho'di-us). One of the more 
common species is Aphodius fimetanus (A. fim-e-ta'ri-us), 
which is about one third inch in length, and is easily recog¬ 
nized by its red wing-covers. 
