110 COLEOPTERA. 
the claws of a lobster, and pinch most 
severely ; and for that reason this beetle 
must be examined with great caution. 
Lucy. I wish, however, that 1 could 
catch one: where are they likely to be 
found ? 
Mother, On oak trees, the sap of 
which these animals suck, 
Lucy, But how do they get at the 
sap ? 
Mother, They strip off a small piece 
of the bark, and then fix their sharp jaws 
in the wood ; through the wound, which 
is thus made, the juice flows, and they 
suck it in with their tongues. 
Lucy, Do the larvse of these stag 
beetles live on oak leaves ? 
Mother, No, they live under the bark, 
which also serves them for nourishment ; 
and in this concealment they perform 
their chrysalis transformation. 
We will now proceed to other genera. 
Lucy, Stop one moment, mamma ; 
in this box I have two pretty little crea- 
