eee” 
22 NATURAL HISTORY. 
but for what reafon is uncertain, fince they partake of the fame dirty 
drudgery with the reft. It is a very ftrong infec, for if one of them 
‘be put under a brafs candleftick it will caufe it to move backwards and 
forwards as it were by an invifible hand, to the no fmall admiration of 
thofe who are not-accuftomed to the fight. 
There is another infeét which at firft appears to be of the Beetle kind, 
to be met with in South-America, and particularly in Surinam. it is of 
avery heavy fluggith nature, and is furnifhed with a long tube or trunk 
aander its nofe, which it thrufts into flowers to fuck out the honey. 
‘When it is preparing itfelf for transformation, it lies motionleis for a 
confiderable time, till at length the fkin breaking on the back, theré 
comes out a fying infect, with four wings that are tranfparent, and of 
a pale rofe colour, veined with fcarlet, and bordered all round with a 
pale yellow. The trunk of the body is much the fame as in the Beetle 
_ ftate, though it entirely throws off its fkin or fhell, which was of a deep 
green colour. V{hen it is transformed to a fly, it is exceeding {wilt, 
and makes a noife with its wings like a harp. 
There have been the folid fhells.of a fort of Beetle brought to Zugland, 
that were found on the eaftern coaft of Africa, over again part of the 
ifland. of Madagafcar, which the natives hang to their necks, and make 
ufe of them as whiftles to call their cattle together. Their upper fur- 
face has the appearance of rough wings, which are fo ftrongly united 
to thofe below after they are dead, that one would imagine they never 
could be made ufe of while they were alive. On its upper fide it has 
above a dozen rows of round knobs, running lengthways, and between 
them there are others that are very fmall. The colour is black, {pot- _ 
ted with red between each knot in the rows of the back, and it has alfo 
xed fpots on its under fide. Thefe Beetles when living, will fly with ~ | 
-great force againft a perfon’s head ‘or face, though when they are dead 
ahey feem incapable of any fuch motion as flying. 
_Linnaus divides the Beetles into two kinds, the great and the little; 
of the former, there are, 
1. The black Beetle, with fpotted and ftreaked cafes of the wings ; 
the head is fmall, the eyes prominent, the feelers confift of eleven joints, . 
and are as long-as half the body. All thefe forts of Beetles have an 
oblong body, feelers like briftles, a breaft made in the fhape of a heart, 
an elevated mouth, a ftrong fmell, and they run and fly very {wiftly. - | 
This has the fmell of tobacco, and is found among rotten wood. 
2. The black Beetle with greenifh cafes of the wings, that are convex- 
ly fpotted and flreaked. It is like the former, and has the fame {mell, 
3. The black Beetle with the cafes of the wings like copper, and.con- 
vexly {potted and ftreaked. It is like the former, only the cafes of the 
wings, the breaft, and the hinder part of the head, are of the colour 
of copper. It is found among rotten wood. 
4. The purplith-black Beetle with the cafes of the wings concavely 
{potted and ftreaked. It is the purple {potted Cerambix of Ray; and 
the black Beetle with furrowed cafes of the wings and hollow {pots. 
It is like the former, and is found among putrified vegetables. 
5. The black Beetle with eight ftreaks on each wing, is like the former, 
and is found in the fame places. It is called by Lifer the entirely 
black Beetle, with cruftaceous cafes of the wings. : 
: : é& 
