A"/* ' • T'A.

£MMfwn,

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THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

PRESENTED BY

PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND
MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID

-

'A* A* -A

I*
1°

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS

SELECTED FROM THE TYPICAL

BEETLES, MOTHS, AND BUTTERFLIES
OF GREAT BRITAIN

BY THE

REV. J. G. WOOD, M.A. &c.

AUTHOR OF

HOMES WITHOUT HANDS' 'BIBLE ANIMALS' 'COMMON OBJECTS
OF THE SEA-SHORE AND COUNTRY' ETC.

WITH ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FIGURES BY E. A. SMITH
ENGRAVED BY G. PEARSON

LONDON
LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.

1882

All rights reserved

PREFACE.

IN A WORK entitled 'Insects at Home' I have
described and figured the most conspicuous examples
of every order of British Insects.

That book is necessarily a work of some dimensions,
and occupies nearly seven hundred pages. It has been
suggested that as more interest is generally taken in
the Beetles, the Butterflies, and Moths, than in the
other orders, it would be as well to publish an
abridged account of those two orders. This has
been done, and the reader will find embodied in the
present work some of the more important discoveries
which have been made since ' Insects at Home ' was
originally published.

J. G. WOOD.

M354474

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. INTRODUCTION

II. THE GEODEPHAGA. . . I7

III. GEODEPHAGA— continued ....

IV. HYDRADEPHAGA ....... 46

V. BRACHELYTRA ..... 6o

VI. NECROPHAGA ...... 7,

VII. LAMELLICORNES ..... g6

VIII. STERNOXI ......

IX. MALACODERMI ...... II(?

X. HETEROMERA.

124

XI. RHYNCHOPHORA, OR WEEVILS ... ni

XII. LONGICORNES, OR LONG-HORNED BEETLES . . . 149
XIII. EUPODA ......

XIV. PSEUDOTRIMERA ,,

viii CONTENTS.

LEPIDOPTERA.

CHAPTER PAGE

I. RHOPALOCERA, OR BUTTERFLIES 175

II. HETEROCERA, OR MOTHS 202

III. GEOMETRY 229

IV. PSEUDO-BOMBYCES, DREPANUL/E, AND NOCTU^E . . 240

V. DELTOIDES, PYRALIDES, AND CRAMKITES . . ,261

VI. TORTRICES, TlNE^E, AND PTEROPHORI . . . . 269

VII. TINE.#: AND PTEROPHORI ...... 273

INDEX 281

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTION.

THERE is scarcely a branch of science, however
interesting it may be, which does not at first repel
the intending student by the array of strange words
with which the treasures of knowledge are surrounded.
This is especially the case in Botany and Zoology,
which contain, in addition to the usual technical
language, vast numbers of names belonging to various
plants or animals, each name consisting of two words,
one denoting the genus and the other the species.

In the following pages I intend to describe, as far
as possible within so limited a space, the butterflies
moths, and beetles of Great Britain, and, though
giving the needful scientific information, to use few
technical terms, and always to explain those which of
necessity must be employed.

OUR first business is evidently, when treating of
these insects, to define precisely what an insect is,

/// B

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

This seems to be a simple matter enough ; but it
really is not so, the question being one which has
occupied systematic zoologists for many years, and
which is even now rather a dubious one in several
cases. The word insect is, as a rule, employed very
loosely by those who have not studied the subject.
Spiders, for example, are generally called insects, and
so are woodlice, centipedes, and a variety of other
creatures which have really no right whatever to the
title. We will therefore see what an insect really is.

Insects are technically described as being ' articu-
lated animals, breathing by trachea, divided into three
distinct portions — viz. the head, the thorax, and the
abdomen— passing through a series of transformations,
and having in thz perfect or " winged" state six articu-
lated legs and two antenna?

We will now take this description and examine it
in detail. The articulated animals are formed on a
totally different plan from the vertebrates, molluscs,
radiata, or other divisions of the animal kingdom.
Their bodies are formed of a series of more or less
flattened rings, within which are contained all the
muscles and vital apparatus. It will be seen that a vast
number of animals come within this definition, which
includes not only the insects, but the Crustacea, such as
the crabs, lobsters, shrimps, woodlice, and others ; the
Arachnida, such as the spiders, scorpions, and mites ;
the Myriapoda, such as the centipedes and millipedes ;
and the Annelida, of which the common worm is a
familiar example. It is necessary, therefore, to find
some mode of distinguishing the insects from all the
other articulates, and, after much trouble, systematic

THE TRACHEA.

naturalists have agreed upon the short formula which
has already been given.

It is there stated that insects breathe through
' tracheae.' Now tracheae are tubes composed of thin
membranes, kept open by a fine but stiff wiry thread,
which is twisted spirally throughout the whole course
of the tube, just as a modern flexible gas-tube is kept
open by a spiral wire, no matter how it may be twisted
or bent. This is absolutely necessary in insects, for
the tracheae are not confined to a single portion of the
body, like the lungs of men or the gills of fish, but
permeate the entire insect, passing through all the
limbs, and even reaching to the claws which terminate
the feet. Any of my readers who wish to see the
extraordinary manner in which the breathing appa-
ratus is disposed over the whole body should look at
the plates of Strauss Durckheim's wonderful mono-
graph on the common cockchafer, a work to praise
which would be simply impertinent.

I strongly advise all my readers to examine these
marvellous structures for themselves. There is not
the least difficulty in finding them, for the real diffi-
culty is to dissect any part of the body without finding
them. The largest of these tubes are those which
run along the sides of the insect, and are connected
with the oval openings along the sides, which are
possessed by every insect. These openings are called
spiracles, from the Latin word spiro, because through
them the insect breathes. Any insect or caterpillar
wrill furnish the tracheae, but the larger the better.
They should be severed from the body by a pair of
fine scissors, then taken out with a pair of forceps, and

B 2

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

laid on a glass slide. I have now before me a pre-
paration of the tracheae of a silkworm which I made
twenty-two years ago, and it is not the least damaged
by keeping.

These tracheae afford a most important character-
istic of the insects, inasmuch as the Crustacea do not
possess them at all, and the Arachnida generally,
though not always, breathe by means of internal air-
sacs.

Next, the creature must be divided into three
distinct portions. This is the signification of the title
Insect, which is derived from two Latin words, signi-
fying cut-into, while the familiar Greek name of
Entoma (from which the word entomology is formed)
has precisely the same signification. This is, perhaps,
the most important of all the characteristics, as in the
Crustacea and Arachnida the head is merged into the
thorax, so that they are divided into two portions
instead of three ; while in the Myriapoda and Annelida
there is no distinct thorax, and sometimes scarcely a
distinct head.

Next we come to the transformations which
insects have to undergo before they reach their perfect
or adult state. All animals really undergo a course
of transformation, but in the insect they take four
very distinct forms ; namely, the Egg, the Larva (i.e.
caterpillar or grub), the Pupa (or chrysalis), and the
imago, or perfect insect. Any of my readers who
have bred silkworms will be practically acquainted
with this fact, and will also know that the larva
changes its skin, or moults, several times before it
assumes the pupal form. The reason for this casting

LARVAL GROWTH.

of skin is evident. The larva, like the perfect insect,
is made of a series of flattened rings, or rather, of a
double series of half rings, connected along the sides
by an elastic membrane, so as to permit the creature
to breathe and eat.

Now, the upper and lower portions of these rings
are comparatively inelastic, and cannot themselves
expand, though they can be opened wider at the sides
in proportion to the interior expansion of the body.
Meanwhile, the larva continues busily its sole business,
that of eating, and increases rapidly in size, so that,
within a certain time, its skin is stretched to the
utmost, and can expand no more. Still the larva
continues to increase, though its tight integuments
cause it so much uneasiness that it ceases to eat, and
at last the overstretched skin bursts, and the larva
emerges, clad with a new skin, which has been form-
ing under the old one. As soon as it is free, it takes
a number of deep respirations, and in half an hour, or
thereabouts, is so much larger than its cast skin, that
to put it back again would be impossible. This pro-
cess is repeated until the larva is about to assume the
third or pupal state.

In consequence of this mode of development, the
whole of the growth is completed during the larval
state, and, however long an insect may live, it never
grows after it has attained its perfect form ; and,
though it is common enough to find insects though of
the same species yet of very different sizes, the largest
have not grown since their last change, nor will the
small specimens ever attain the dimensions of their
larger relatives. In a measure, the same rule prevails

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

among mankind, and, though some may be giants
and others dwarfs, the dwarf will never become a
giant, nor has the giant ever been a dwarf, and,
different as are their sizes, both ceased to grow when
they attained the age of manhood.

The modes of passing through the successive
changes of form are exceedingly variable in the
different orders of insects, and are always most inte-
resting to careful observers. I shall not mention
them in this place, but shall give the descriptions of
the metamorphoses together with the history of the
different species.

Next in order comes the statement that all true
insects have six legs when they have attained the
perfect form, or Imago. The reader will see that
this definition at once excludes all other Annulata.
The Crustacea, for example, have a considerable
number of legs, and the Arachnida are eight-legged,
while the Myriapoda are, as their name infers, many-
legged, and the Annelida have no legs at all. It is
true that in some insects there only appear to be four
legs, but, in these cases, the apparently missing
organs may be discovered on careful examination,
much reduced in size, but still present.

A similar observation may be made with regard
to the antennae, or, as they are popularly called,
4 horns,' or feelers.' The word antenna is a Latin one,
signifying the yard-arm of a ship, and has been
appropriately given to these organs. In most cases
the antennae give great character to the aspect of an
insect. In some of the Beetles, for example, they are
slender, and each joint is so lengthened that the

THE ANTENX.Z.

antennae are five times as long as the body. In
others they are comparatively short, sometimes deeply
toothed like combs, sometimes terminated with a
round club, sometimes with the ends developed into
a beautiful fan-like apparatus, and sometimes looking
like a number of coins joined together by a string
running through their centre. The knob-tipped
antennae of the butterflies are an unfailing character-
istic whereby these insects can be distinguished from
the moths, with their sharp-tipped antennae ; while in
the latter group of insects, the antennae of the male
are often wide and feathered, those of the female being
mere jointed threads, without any feathering what-
ever. Many insects seem to be altogether without
antennae, but, like the undeveloped legs already men-
tioned, they can be found in their places, though so
small as to escape a hasty observation.

HAVING now briefly examined the general cha-
racteristics of insects, we will take them in detail.

Among the insects, the COLEOPTERA, or BEETLES,
are acknowledged to hold the first rank, their develop-
ment being more perfect than is found in any of the
other orders. The name of Coleoptera is composed
of two Greek words, signifying sheath-wings, and is
given to this order of insects in consequence of their
leading peculiarity, which is, that the upper pair of
wings is modified into horny or leathery cases, called
elytra, useless in flight, but employed in protecting
the membranous under pair of wings, which alone are
used in flight. In many Beetles the lower pair of
wings is net developed, and in a few both pairs are

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

practically wanting, though an entomologist's eye can
always detect them in a rudimentary form. The
wings and elytra, together with other portions of the
Beetle, will presently be figured and described.

The changes, or metamorphoses, of the Beetles,
though singularly interesting, are not easily seen, as
Beetle larvae require food which is, as a rule, not easily
procured, and in many cases is so noisome that few
persons would like to meddle with it. A great
number are carnivorous, feeding upon various living
creatures, so that to supply them properly with food
is next to impossible ; while, as the majority of them
pass two years or more in the larval state, the process
of rearing them is tedious as well as difficult.

All who have bred silkworms, or have been in the
habit of watching insects when at liberty, are familiar
with the appearance of the three principal forms
assumed by the moths and butterflies in their differ-
ent stages of growth — the caterpillar, with its soft,
cylindrical, ringed body, the pupa or chrysalis,
covered with a hard, shelly case, and the perfect
insect, with its beautiful wings. Now, although the
Beetles pass through similar changes, they do not
assume similar forms. The larva of the Beetle is, like
that of the moth or butterfly caterpillar, soft and
ringed, and sometimes so resembles the caterpillar
that the two may easily be confounded by anyone un-
skilled in entomology. Figures of the larvae will be
given in connection with the different species.

Thus far the Beetle and moth bear some resem-
blance to each other, but when they come to assume
the pupal form, they are so dissimilar that no one

NUMBER OF SEGMENTS.

could possibly mistake one for the other. In the
moth pupa all the limbs are hidden under a hard
covering, but in the Beetle pupa all the members of
the insect are visible, though they are covered with a
skin which binds them down, and prevents them from
being used until the insect attains its perfect form,
and bursts through the investing skin.

If the reader will carefully examine the various
stages of insect life, he will see that, whether the
creature be in the larval, pupal, or perfect state, the
number of rings of which it is composed are the same.
Take, for example, a Beetle larva, and it will be
found to consist of thirteen rings, or segments. The
first of these forms the head the next three carry the
legs, and the remaining rings constitute the body.
Should the same larva be successfully reared, and
examined after it has reached the perfect state, it will
be found to have precisely the same number of rings,
though some are fused together, and others are greatly
modified.

IN the accompanying illustration we have an
example of the Beetle, taken to pieces so as to show
the various parts. The Stag Beetle has been chosen
for the purpose.

We begin with the head and its appendages.
Fig. I shows the mandibles, or upper jaws, which in
the male Stag Beetle are of very great size. Fig. 4
shows the maxillae, or lower jaws, with the maxillary
palpi, or jaw-feelers, Fig. 4^. Fig. 3 shows the
labium, or lower lip, with the labial palpi, or lip-feelers,
3#. Next come the antennae, or feelers, Fig. 2.

LUCANUS CERVl'S. DISSECTION'.

Parts of the Head. — i. Mandibles, or jaws. 2. Antennae. 2^:. Scape. vb.
Club. 3. Labium, or lower lip. 3^. Labial palpi, or lip-feelers. 4. Maxillae,
or lower ja*-s. t,a. Maxillary palpi, or jaw-feelers. 5. Head, upper surface.
5<r. F.yes. 5^. Vertex, or crown. y. Occiput, or back of h< ad. ~,d. Clypeus,
or shield. 6. Head, under surface. (a. Eyes. 63. Insertion of antennae.

Fartsof Thorax and Abdomen.— 7. Pronoturn, or upper surface of thorax. ~ja.
Lateral margin. jl>. Anterior margin. jc. Posterior angles. -jd. Posterior
margin. je. An erior anglts. 8. Prosternum, or under surface of thorax.

THE COMPOUND EYES. 11

These organs are divided into two parts - namely, the
scape, or long joint nearest the head, Fig. 2a, and the
club, 2b. This latter portion is subject to most extra-
ordinary variations of form, as will be seen in the
following pages.

The head itself is shown at Fig. 5, the upper
surface being here given. $aa are the eyes, %b the
vertex, or crown of the head, ^c is the occiput, or
back of the head ; and $d the clypeus, or shield,
which covers the actual mouth. Fig. 6 shows the
under side of the head. 6aa are the eyes, 6b the
insertion of the antennae.

As reference has been made to the eyes, it must
be mentioned that these organs, although apparently
only two in number, are in reality compound eyes,
being made of a vast number of facets gathered into
two groups, one on each side of the head. There is
an apparent exception to this definition in the well-
known Whirligig Beetles (Gyrini), which appear to
have four eye-groups, two above and two below.
This exception is, however, more apparent than real ;
the eye-groups being in fact only two, but each pair
being crossed by a band of the horny material of
which the outer skeleton is composed. The com-
pound eyes can be seen to great perfection in some

8a. Sternum. 8/>. Insertion of coxse. 9. Meso-thorax and upper surface of
abdomen. ga. Mesothorax alone. 9^. Abdomen, upper surface alone. 10.
Metasternum and abdomen. iort. Metasternum alone. io£. Abdomen, under
surface alone. loc. Parapleura, or side pieces. ic*/. Episterna, or breast pieces.
12. Scutellum.

Legs. — n. Anterior, or first pair of legs. n«. Tarsi, or feet. n3. Tibia, or
shank. i\c. Femur, or thigh. i\d. Trochanter. \\e. Coxa. 13. Inter-
mediate pair of legs. 15. Posterior pair of legs.

The lyings. — 14. Elytra. 14^. Suture. 14^. Lateral margin. 14^. Apex.
i4</. Rase. 14^. Di.c. 16. Wings folded on abdomen. 17. Left wing ex-
panded. 18. Right wing 'olded.

12 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

of the butterflies ; but for this purpose, a careful
manipulation of the microscope is needed.

In addition to these compound eyes, many insects
possess several small simple eyes, called ocelli. They
are very small, and in the Beetles are two in number,
and placed on the back of the head.

Having examined the head, we now take the next
division of the insect, namely the thorax. This im-
portant part bears all the instruments of locomotion,
whether they be legs or wings ; and is most wonder-
fully constructed for the purpose, being supplied in
the interior with hard projections that are needed for
supporting the powerful muscular apparatus needful
for flight, and the less powerful, but still more important
system by which the legs are moved.

The thorax is internally divided into three parts,
which we call prothorax, or front thorax ; meso-
thorax, or middle thorax ; and metathorax, or hinder
thorax. Beginning with the prothorax, we find it
again divided into two portions, the upper and the
lower — the former going by the name of pronotum,
i.e. in front of the back, and the other called pro-
sternum, i.e. in front of the breast. Fig. 7 shows the
pronotum of the Stag Beetle : 7 aa are the lateral
margins, *jb is the anterior margin, Jcc are the pos-
terior angles, jd the posterior margin, and Jee the
anterior angles.

Next we come to the prosternum, which is shown
at Fig. 8 ; 8a being the sternum, and %bb the insertion
of the coxa, a joint which will be presently described.

The mesothorax with the abdomen is shown at
Figs. 9 and 10, the former exhibiting the upper, and

WINGS AND LEGS. 13

the latter the under surface. In the last figure, a is
the metasternum, b the abdomen, c the parapleura,
or side-pieces (sometimes called paraptera, because
they are situated by the wings), and d the episterna,
or breast-pieces.

Each of these portions is set apart for a definite
use, and is employed for the attachment of some
portion of the locomotive apparatus.

The prosternum is used to carry the front pair of
legs, as can be seen by looking at the under side of
any large Beetle, or indeed of any small one, by the
aid of a magnifier.

The mesothorax bears the elytra, or wing cases,
and the intermediate pair of legs, the former being
attached to the upper part, or mesonotum, and the
latter to the lower part, or mesosternum. The reader
must remember that the word ' sternum ' always
signifies the breast, or under side of the thorax, and
* notum ' the back, or upper side. Lastly, the meso-
thorax bears the lower, or membranous, wings and the
last pair of legs. As before, the wings are attached
to the upper part, or metanotum, and the legs to the
lower part, or metasternum.

We come now to the legs, the three pairs of which
are represented successively at Figs. 11, 13, 15 ; the
first pair being called the anterior legs, the second
the intermediate legs, and the third the posterior
legs.

These legs are divided into several portions,
which are marked at Fig. n. Beginning at the ex-
tremity of the limb, a is the tarsus, or foot, which
consists of several joints. There are mostly five joints

14 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

in the tarsus of Beetles, but in many families one or
two of the joints are so small as scarcely to be
visible, and only to be detected by a practised eye
with the aid of a lens. Next comes the tibia, or
shank, which is shown at b. Then follows the femur,
or thigh, as seen at c. This is attached to a small
joint called the trochanter, which is drawn at d\ and
last comes the coxa, or the joint which connects
the limb with the thorax. The action of the coxa is
very curious, it being a kind of ball-and-socket joint,
but with a limited range of movement, so that the
legs cannot be spread too far. The same divisions of
the joints are found in the three sets of legs.

We next come to the wings. The upper pair, or
elytra, are shown at Fig. 14. For convenience of
description they are marked into several divisions.
Fig. 14*2 is the suture, or line of junction between the
two elytra. The apex is shown at c, and the base at
d. The middle, or disc, is marked e, and the lateral
margin is at b. Fig. 17 shows one of the wings ex-
panded, as if for flight ; Fig. 18 is the opposite wing,
represented as folded, and at Fig. 16 are shown
both wings as they appear when the elytra are
removed.

At first sight some of these terms may appear to
be harsh, repulsive, and difficult to master. In reality
they are not so, and a knowledge of them is absolutely
necessary to anyone who wishes to understand the
description of an insect, and himself to describe
insects intelligibly. They form a kind of shorthand
by which knowledge can be rapidly communicated,
and the trouble taken in learning them is amply

DISSECTION.

repaid by the advantage gained by the student, even
were the trouble multiplied tenfold.

But, in reality, there is scarcely any trouble
needed. If the intending entomologist should content
himself with merely learning a string of names by
rote, he must expect to find his lesson a hard and
repulsive one, and that it will be forgotten almost as
soon as learned. Practical knowledge is ever the
best, and the reader who intends to become an ento-
mologist should take some Beetle — the largest he can
find — and compare it, piece by piece, with the figures
and description.

The most effective plan of all, however, is to take
the Beetle entirely to pieces, and to lay out the por-
tions on a card in their proper order, numbering each
piece, and writing an index to the numbers. The
various portions can be fixed to the card by gum
tragacanth, which has the advantage of great holding
power and dries without leaving the glittering surface
which is found in most cements. I recommend
taking two Beetles, so as to show the upper and under
sides of each portion. This will be found peculiarly
interesting in the thorax.

Before any attempt at dissecting the Beetle it
should be steeped in soft water for a time, until the
soft parts are thoroughly dissolved. The water
should then be poured away, and fresh, water sub-
stituted until the whole of the muscles and viscera
have been washed away. Care must be taken lest
any of the smaller joints be lost during this process.
When the whole skeleton is fairly laid out, it can be
mounted in a glass frame, and, besides serving as an

1 6 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

infallible guide to the external anatomy of the Beetle,
it is really a pretty and ornamental object. Many
years ago, when I first began the study of entomology,
I thus prepared several Beetles, and the knowledge
thus gained has never been lost. Had I studied
books alone, I should not have been able to gain the
information half so easily, or to have retained it half
as long.

CHAPTER II.

THE GEODEPHAGA.

THE word with which this chapter is headed is not a
very alluring one, and yet to an entomologist it would
say that the chapter contains the history of the best
developed and some of the most interesting of the
British Beetles. The term Geodephaga is formed
from two Greek words, signifying earth-devourers,
and is given to the large group of predacious Beetles
which live on the ground. There is another large
group, called the Hydradephaga, or water-devourers,
i.e. those predacious Beetles which inhabit the water.
We will take these two important groups in succes-
sion, selecting such examples as may best illustrate
them.

It must be, in the first place, observed that any
Beetle may be recognised as belonging to either of
these groups by the structure of the mouth. In re-
ference to the illustrations already described, the
reader will see that each of the maxillae (Fig. 4) is
furnished with a four-jointed maxillary palpus. All
these carnivorous Beetles possess the same organs,
but, in addition, they have an inner lobe, which is
also furnished with its palpus. Both these groups are

C

1 8 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

associated in one large group called Adephaga, the
word being a Greek one, and signifying greedy or
gluttonous.

BEGINNING with the Geodephaga, we take the first
family of the group, the Cicindelidae, or Tiger Beetles.
In all these Beetles there is a little movable hook at
the end of the maxillae, and the ligula is very short,
and not appearing beyond the mentum. There is only
one genus of these Beetles inhabiting England, and
this is the typical genus Cicindela. The members of
this genus vary but little in size, being about half an
inch in length, having slender legs and antennae,
powerful and curved jaws, and very rounded and
prominent eyes. They are all prettily coloured, and
some are absolutely magnificent when viewed with the
aid of a magnifying glass.

Never was a popular name more appropriate than
the title of Tiger Beetles, which has been given to this
genus. If we can imagine tigers who, in addition to
active limbs, their teeth, and their talons, are furnished
with large and powerful wings, we can form some idea
of the part which these creatures play in the world of
insects.

We will take as our typical example the common
Green Tiger Beetle or Sparkler {Cicindela campes-
tris).

The colour of this beautiful beetle is gold-green
above, and shining copper-green below; and there
are several yellowish spots on the elytra, varying
much in shape, number, and hue. Sometimes there
are only three, but in many specimens there are six.

A STRANGE LARVA. 19

In former times, the variety in the number of spots
was thought to indicate that the Beetles belonged to
different species, but it is now decisively ascertained
that they are only varieties of one single species.

If the wing-cases be opened, and the broad mem-
branous wings spread, the upper surface of the
abdomen is seen to be deep shining blue, very much
like the colour of the ordinary ' blue-bottle ' fly. As
the Beetle darts through the air in the sunshine, the
light glitters on the burnished blue surface, a circum-
stance which has earned for the Beetle the popular
name of Sparkler.

One peculiarity of this insect is the strong but
pleasing scent which it emits. I well remember the
first time that I saw and captured this Beetle. It
was on a sandy bank in Bagley Wood, near Oxford,
and I could not for some time guess the origin of the
pleasant, sweet-briar sort of scent which
clung to my hands. For some time I
thought that I must have grasped some
fragrant herb, and it was not until I had
taken the Beetles out of the box (where,
by the way, nearly one half had been
killed and partly eaten by the other half)
that I discovered the real source of the
perfume.

With all the Tiger Beetles, the larva
is an odd-looking grub, with a pair of
enormous, sickle-shaped jaws, and a sort ckmdeia,
of hump on the middle of the back. tima
These larvae make perpendicular burrows in the
ground, and lie in wait for passing insects. Sand-

c 2

20 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

banks, if partly overgrown with grass, are favourite
localities of the common Tiger Beetle.

WE now come to the next family of British
Beetles, the Lebiadae. All the Beetles of this family
may be known by the appearance of the elytra, which
do not extend to the end of the abdomen, and are
abruptly squared, looking almost as if they had been
cut off. If their first pair of legs be examined, the
tibiae will be seen notched on the inner side. They
are all rather small Beetles, and some are very
prettily coloured. They are tolerably active when
they choose to take the trouble of moving ; but they
are much given to hiding themselves in all kinds of
crevices, so that some trouble is requisite in order to
procure them.

The young entomologist must always bear in
mind that the most unpromising localities will often
prove to be singularly rich in insects, and that Beetles
especially may be found in any spot where there is a
crack or a hole. Large stones are nearly sure to
shelter a Beetle or two beneath them ; moss is gene-
rally full of them ; and a heap of decaying grass or
leaves is a hotbed which seems as well fitted to pro-
duce Beetles as to force plants. The loose bark of
trees always has Beetles under it ; and small Beetles
creep into the burrows which larger Beetles have
made in the decaying wood of the tree. When a
quantity of long moss is to be seen, it is a good plan
to fill a bag with it — a paper bag will do in lieu of
anything better — and to bring it home, when it can
be carefully examined by shaking it bit by bit over

BEETLE-CATCHING. 21

a large sheet of white paper. Grass-tufts can be
treated in a similar manner, and mostly with great
success. Lumps of dry earth can also be brought
home, where they can be broken up and leisurely
searched.

THERE is a common species of this beautiful genus
to be procured from the broom. This is Lebia chlo-
rocephala. It is a striking insect in appearance, the
head and elytra being of a brilliant bluish-green colour,
while the thorax, which is strongly punctured, is of a
rust-red hue. It is very variable in size, some specimens
being twice as large as others, but averages about a
quarter of an inch in total length.

THE genus Dromius comes next on our list.
There are eleven British species of Dromius at present
known, all of them small and rather pretty insects.
Although they are almost invariably found under the
bark of trees, they must not be confounded with those
little Beetles which devour the bark or bore into the
wood. On the contrary, such insects constitute the
food of the Dromii, so that the latter ought to be
encouraged and protected as far as possible. Their
bodies are long and flattish, so as to enable them to
run about under the bark in search of prey.

In the accompanying illustration is shown a
Beetle which may be accepted as the type of the
genus. Its name is Dromius quadrimaculatus, the
latter name being given to it on account of the
four white marks upon the elytra. The head of this
species is black, and the thorax is rust-red. The

22

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

elytra are brown, and each of them has two white
spots, as shown in the illustration. The length of
the Beetle is designated by the line
drawn by its side. It can be taken
in various localities. Throughout
the year it can mostly be found by
removing the dead bark of trees, but
in winter it can sometimes be found
under stones and in heaps of decay-
ing leaves.

The word Dromius is of Greek
origin, signifying a runner, and is
given to the members of this genus
in consequence of their activity.

Dromius quadrima-
culatus.

THERE is a prettily-made, though soberly co-
loured little Beetle, called Brachinus crepitans, the
latter title being given to it in consequence of a
most singular property which it possesses, and
which is almost unique in the animal kingdom. It
secretes a remarkable volatile fluid, which it has the
power of retaining or expelling at will. When
alarmed, it throws out a small quantity of this
fluid, which immediately volatilises with a slight
explosion when it comes in contact with the atmo-
sphere, and looks very much like the fire of miniature
artillery. In consequence of this phenomenon, the
insect which produces it is popularly called the Bom-
bardier Beetle.

This curious property is used in defence. The
Beetle, being a small and comparatively feeble one, is
liable to be attacked by the larger Geodephaga, espe-

THE BOMBARDIER BEETLE.

cially by those belonging to the genus Carabus. The
lesser insect could have no chance of escape but for
its curious wea-
pons of defence.
When the Cara-
bus chases the
Brachinus, the
latter waits until
the former has

nearly reached itS Carabus monilis. Brachinus crepitans.

prey, and then fires a gun, so to speak, in its face.
The effect on the Carabus is ludicrous. The insect
seems quite scared at such a repulse, stops, backs
away from the tiny blue cloud, and allows its
intended prey to reach a place of safety.

The Brachini may be identified by the very
convex body, and their palpi without the axe-shaped
terminal joint. The Bombardier Beetle is reddish-
yellow, with dull deep-blue elytra. It is, however, a
variable species, as are all, or nearly all, of those in
which green or blue is the prevailing colour, and,
though most specimens are blue, or blue-black, some
are deep blackish-green. It also varies greatly in
size, some specimens being not a quarter of an inch in
length, and others more than the third of an inch long.

These Beetles love wet situations, especially when
the water is brackish, and hide under stones and in
crevices, so that they are seldom seen except by
insect hunters. The banks of tidal rivers are good
hunting grounds for the searchers after Brachini, such
as the Thames, from Erith, or even Woolwich, to its
mouth. They are found in greatest numbers below

24 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

Gravesend, and ten or twelve may sometimes be seen
under a single stone, firing off their artillery when
deprived of their shelter.

The volatile fluid which produces such curious
effects is secreted in a little sac just within the end of
the abdomen. It is not only capable of repelling the
larger Beetles by its explosion and cloud of blue
vapour, but is potent enough to discolour the human
skin when discharged against it, as many have found
who have captured Bombardier Beetles by hand.
Should it get within the eyelids, the pain and irrita-
tion produced resemble those which would be caused
by a corresponding amount of the strongest vinegar.

The whole of the contents are not ejected at one
discharge, but there is sufficient to produce a series of
explosions, each perceptibly fainter than its prede-
cessor. Even after the death of the Beetle, the
explosions may be produced by pressing the abdomen
between the finger and thumb. Even in our small
British species the phenomenon is very surprising,
but there are much larger species in hotter countries,
which produce much louder explosions, accompanied
with quite a cloud of vapour. Three British species
of Brachinus are known to entomologists, the remain-
ing two, however, being extremely rare.

WE come now to another family of Geodephaga,
of which we can but take one example. The
Scaritidae, like the preceding family, are seldom seen
in the open air, but, instead of creeping into clefts
already existing, they make tunnels for themselves.
Tunnelling Beetles are almost invariably cylindric

THE CLIVINA, 25

in shape, and this is the case with the Scaritidse.
The thorax of these beetles is rather peculiarly
shaped, being separated from the abdomen by a sort
of neck, or ' pedunculated,' if we use the scientific
term. The tibiae of the first pair of legs, which are
the tools chiefly used in burrowing, are very hard,
very strong, and boldly toothed, and the antennas are
short, and have scarcely any distinction between the
joints.

One of the best examples of the Scaritidae is
shown in the accompanying \vood-cut, and is an
insect called Clivina fossor. The
length of this Beetle is rather more
than a quarter of an inch. Its
colour is exceedingly variable, rang-
ing from pitchy-black to chestnut,
brown, or even brick-red. This
variation in colour depends chiefly
upon the exposure to the air, the
oldest specimens being the darkest.
This gradual darkening by exposure
to light is very frequent among ciivina fossor.
insects ; and a too familiar example may be found in
the common cockroach, which is often seen almost
white, darkening gradually until it assumes its well-
known red-brown hue. There are only two British
examples of this genus.

Usually, the Clivina is found under stones and in
heaps of decaying vegetable matter, but I have taken
great numbers out of a large rotten log, which was
seen to be full of their burrows as soon as the bark
was removed. I took out of the same log both t«he

26 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

larvae and pupae of the same Beetle, having nothing
to do but to break up the soft and rotten wood with
a powerful digger, previously laying a newspaper
below the log. The insects fell out in numbers with-
out being injured, and could be taken in any number.

During the winter-time the Clivina is usually to
be obtained by digging at the roots of trees, and care-
fully breaking up the sods.

When the insects are captured, the next business
is to know how to deal with them. There is not the
least difficulty with soft-bodied moths or butterflies,
as they can be easily killed when caught ; but the
hard-bodied Beetles are not so easily deprived of life,
and a great number of them will fight if placed in
the same vessel, and eat, or at least mutilate, each
other. There is nothing better for such insects, or
rather for their capturer, than the 'laurel-bottle.'
This is very easily made. Take a wide-mouthed
bottle, and fit a cork very firmly into it. Bore a hole
through the cork, and insert in the hole a swan-quill
or short metal tube about two inches long, so that it
may project at least half an inch through the cork
into the bottle. The upper end should be stopped
with a cork, and it will be better to cut the cork so
long that it can be removed by holding it between
the teeth. I always cut the upper part of the tube
slopingly, so that a very small Beetle can be scooped
up with it.

For many Beetles nothing more is requisite
except to put a piece of crumpled rag at the bottom
so as to give them a foothold ; but for the fiercer and
voracious Adephaga an additional precaution is

THE LAUREL-BOTTLE. 27

required, and they must be killed as soon as they are
put into the bottle, or an undisfigured specimen will
never be obtained.

If a bottle can be obtained without any neck, the
following is the neatest way of making a laurel-
bottle :— Cut a flat cork that fits rather tightly in the
bottle, but not too tightly to be pushed up and down.
Take out a portion of its middle, and insert a piece of
fine wire gauze. It will be better to pass a string
through each side of the ' plug/ as we will call this
cork, and knot them underneath, so that when the
plug is to be withdrawn it can be pulled up by the
strings.

Next, procure a handful of the young buds and
leaves of laurel, put them into the bottle, and crush
them into a paste with the handle of a knife or some
such instrument. Now insert the plug, press it down
upon the crushed leaves, put in the cork, and the
* laurel-bottle ' is complete. The bottle must be kept
firmly corked, or the vapour will escape.

The use of the bottle will be shown as soon as it
is employed. Let a Beetle, however large, fierce, or
voracious, be put into it, and its fate is at once sealed.
It begins to kick and struggle, as if it knew its danger;
but in a very few seconds the struggling is evidently
over, and the insect turns on its back, with its legs
quivering in the poisoned air. The fact is, the laurel
contains a large amount of prussic acid, and the
interior of the bottle is charged with its vapour. Now,
.as has already been mentioned, the breathing appa-
ratus of an insect pervades the whole of the body,
even to the end of the limbs ; and when the poisonous

28 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

vapour is inhaled, it penetrates simultaneously the
entire system, and causes almost instantaneous death.
It will be as well for the beginner to use the laurel-
bottle for all Beetles, as it does not damage them, and
he need not trouble himself to distinguish the vora-
cious from the harmless species.

There is only one drawback to the laurel-bottley
and this is more apparent than real. It stiffens the
limbs at first, so that the insects cannot be ' set '
properly, and the legs will rather break than bend.
However, this difficulty is overcome in a very simple
way — namely, by leaving them in the bottle for a few
days, when the rigid limbs will become relaxed and
as flexible as they were during life. Some care, how-
ever, is required, as, if they are left too long in the
bottle, the process of softening extends too far, and
the limbs are apt to fall off altogether.

Very few instruments are required for the capture
of Beetles besides the digger which has already been
described. Two nets are almost indispensable, one
made of stout net, and the other of brown holland or
even canvas. The former should be about seven
inches in diameter, and is used for fishing Water
Beetles and their larvae out of ponds, ditches, and
streams.

The latter, which is called from its use the sweep-
net, requires to be made with some care, as it meets
with very rough usage, and, unless properly made,
will soon be worn out. The depth should be at least
twice its diameter.

The framework of the net is simply a ring or hoop
about nine inches in diameter, made of iron about one-

THE SWEEP-NET. 29

third of an inch in diameter. If it be of lighter
material, it will not endure the rough work for which
it is made. The ring is covered loosely with stout
leather, and to the leather is sewn the net itself, which
is nothing more than a bag of holland or canvas.
The best sweep-nets have a number of small rings
forged on the inside of the hoop. A stout wire is run
through the rings, and the net is made fast to the
wire. The socket and ring must be welded together
and not soldered. The angles at the bottom of the
net should be carefully rounded off. The handle
should be made of ash, stout, and about five feet in
length.

Now for the mode of using it. When a promising
sweeping-place is found, such as a hedge-row, some
long grass, fern or heather, a quantity of nettles, a
turnip field, or any such locality, the sweep-net is
swept at random backwards and forwards among the
herbage, the stroke always having an upward direc-
tion. This, with a little practice, can be done so
rapidly as scarcely to impede the walk. It is better,
however, only to sweep one kind of plant at a time,
so as to be sure of the particular herb or vegetable
frequented by each species.

After a time, comes the examination of the net.
Lay it flat on the ground, doubling it over, so that
the pressure of the hoop prevents the inmates from
escaping. Now, draw it through the hoop very slowly,
taking care that none of the more active Beetles make
-their escape, especially those which hop and fly ; seize
the insects as they make their appearance, and drop
them into the laurel-bottle, always replacing the cork.

30 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

Most Beetles — and, in fact, nearly all that are taken
in the sweep-net — will pass through the tube ; but
the large Ground Beetles, some of the Water Beetles
and chafers, and one or two others, require to have
the large cork removed.

On returning home, the entomologist should take
out the cork from the laurel-bottle, and empty the
insects into some boiling water, as some of the species
have the strongest objection to die, and, after they
have been apparently killed, have a habit of reviving
in a manner that is rather startling to the young
entomologist. It is no uncommon thing for an insect-
hunter to capture a number of Beetles, set them, put
them away in the * setting-box,' and then, after a week
or so, to find three or four of them kicking about and
doing their best to escape. Some of the Geodephaga
have been known to drag the pin from the board,
and, though still impaled, to devour their fellow-
sufferers.

Ordinary Beetles can be taken by hand, but for
the very small species the forceps is used. This
instrument should be of good length. The regular
dealers offer for sale a brass forceps about two inches
in length. This is nearly useless. Get the forceps of
steel, at least four inches long, and made with a curve.
The curved forceps is just as useful as the straight
instrument for picking up a Beetle from the ground,
while it can be inserted into crevices which the straight
forceps could not enter.

* Setting ' Beetles is not a difficult matter. For
moderately-sized Beetles the following plan answers

BEETLE-SETTING. 31

perfectly. Take a fine pin, such as are sold for the
purpose, and pass it through the disc of the right
elytron, and so fix the Beetle on a board. Now draw
out its legs, and place them in their natural position,
fixing them, if required, with pins and little bits of
card-board. Treat the antennae and palpi in the same
way, and nothing more is needed.

The smaller species should be fixed on strips of
white card-board by means of gum tragacanth, of such
a consistency that it will scarcely flow over if the
bottle containing it be held upside down. Only one
Beetle should be set on each piece of card. The legs,
antennae, part of the mouth, &c., must be drawn into
position by means of the forceps and the setting-
needle. At first this operation will be found a matter
of considerable difficulty, but practice and patience
will soon enable the collector to set his capture with
ease and rapidity. When the insects are mounted, an
entomological pin should be passed through each
strip at the end opposite to that on which the Beetle
is placedr and the specimens transferred to the box or
cabinet in which they are permanently to remain.

For examining the details of a Beetle, especially
if it be a small one, a pocket lens is required. These
instruments are made with either two or three glasses,
and are small enough to be suspended to the watch-
chain by a ring. In order to examine a Beetle with
ease, the pin should be stuck into a cork cemented on
a flat piece of lead, so that it cannot be knocked over.
My own instrument is made of a champagne cork,
cut into a cylindrical form and rounded on the top.

32 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

I prefer the champagne cork for two reasons — the
first being that it is of an uniform and close texture,
without the holes and hard spots which are found in
ordinary corks, and the second being that it has not
been pierced with the corkscrew.

33

CHAPTER III.
GEODEPHAGA — continued.

WE now come to the important family of the Cara-
bidae, to which belong some of the largest and most
powerful of the Geodephaga. The Carabidae are in
many points exactly like the Cicindelidae, and if
isolated parts of the mouth were taken to an entomo-
logist, he would have some difficulty in knowing to
which family they belonged. But, whereas the
Cicindelidae have a notch on the inner side of the
front tibiae, these limbs are without the notch in the
Carabidae.

The typical genus is well represented in this
country, and its members are familiar to us by the
title of Ground Beetles or Garden Beetles. They are
the largest of the family, some of them being an inch
in length, and strongly though elegantly shaped.
They are very active, as far as their legs go, but they
have no wings, these members being only found in a
rudimentary state under the hard and shining elytra,,
which in most of the species are soldered together
and cannot be opened. In one species, however,
Carabus grannlatus, the elytra are capable of motion,
and the wings are more developed than is generally

D

34 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

the case. They are, however, much too small to be
used for flight The mandibles have a small tooth in
the middle, and the labial palpi have the last joint
' securiform,' or axe-shaped. The thorax is somewhat
heart-shaped, and has the posterior angles boldly
marked. In the male the tarsi of the first pair of legs
are broader than in the female.

Thirteen British species of Carabus are known,
one of which is represented on page 23, in the act of
chasing the Brachinus. It is the Carabus wonilis, a
common and very handsome insect. It is exceedingly
variable in colour, and slightly so in marking, but
may be described as follows : — The head is black,
with bronze or green reflections, wrinkled in front,
and there is a deep hollow on each side just between
the antennae. The thorax is wrinkled at the hinder
angles and deeply notched behind, and its colour is
deep copper. The elytra are metallic green or violet,
and sometimes entirely green. Each elytron is
marked with three rows of raised striae, broken regu-
larly at intervals, or ' interrupted/ to use the scientific
term, and between them are three ridges which are
not broken. The line along the suture is black, and
the under side of the insect is dull black.

This Beetle is common in gardens, and, like the
rest of its kin, ought to be encouraged and protected,
as it feeds almost entirely on the smaller insects, and
never meddles with the vegetables.

Another very good example is Carabus violaceus,
one of the commonest and largest of the genus. It
sometimes exceeds an inch in length. Its colour is
rather remarkable. At first sight it appears to be a

GROUND BEETLES. 35

black insect, but a more careful examination shows
that the supposed black is in reality the deepest violet,
which on the margins of the elytra and thorax be-
comes of a rich burnished golden-violet, like as of
polished metal. The whole of the upper surface is
granulated, the elytra more deeply than the thorax,
along the centre of which there is a slightly elevated
line. Below, it is black, with a slight green or blue
reflection.

These Beetles afford good practice in setting.
They are large enough to bear handling, and yet
small enough to require care. Their legs are long,
and look well when set out, and the parts of the
mouth are sufficiently large to show whether the
operator has been careful about his work. These
Beetles, by the way, are very tenacious of life, and,
though they can be at least rendered insensible and
harmless by the laurel-bottle, it will be as well to dip
them into boiling water before passing the pin through
them, so as to avoid the sight of an impaled Beetle
trying to release itself, or walking about the cabinet
drawer with a pin through its body.

I have always had a great liking for these Beetles
from the time when I was accustomed to harness them
into fairy chariots, to that in which I first learned
from them the wonders of an insect's organisation
and traced in them the early rudiments of those
structures which find their fullest development in
man.

NEXT on our list comes the genus Notiophilus,
Avhich, being translated, signifies wet-lover and is a

D 2

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

very appropriate title. All these Beetles are very
small, none of them exceeding a quarter of an inch in
length. They may be found on the banks of ponds
and streams, running over the wet soil with great
activity in search of prey. In consequence of their
fondness for water they were for a long time classed
among the Hydradephaga, or the voracious Beetles
of the water, but have now been placed in their right
position among the Carabidse.

Accompanying this description is a magnified
figure of a common species of this genus, called
NotiopJiilus bignttatns. It is a very
small Beetle, sometimes only one-
sixth of an inch in length, and
seldom, if ever, exceeding a quarter
of an inch. It is a pretty little
creature, with a highly polished
surface, as if made of bronze in
which the copper predominated.
Five species of this genus are
known to inhabit England, and
they may be found hidden under
stones or at the roots of trees in
damp places. Willow trees on the
borders of streams are good localities for these pretty
little Beetles. They do not, however, confine them-
selves to wet places, although they prefer such places
as a residence. They may be seen running about in
the hottest weather over places a mile at least from
water.

Notiophilus biguttatus.

NEXT upon our list comes the family of the
Chlaeniidse. In these Beetles the front tarsi of the

THE LINE OF BEAUTY. 37

males have either two or three joints much widened
and squared, and very sponge-like below.

A well-known beetle belonging to this family is
shown. Its name is PristonycJius terricola. As may
be seen by reference to the illus-
tration, it is a very prettily-shaped
insect, the curves of the outline
harmonising in a way that would
have delighted the soul of Ho-
garth, had he taken the trouble to
look at Nature's original of his
celebrated ' line of beauty.'

Except in shape, it is not a
very pleasing insect to the eye, the

Colour being black, With a violet Pristonychus terricola.

gloss when examined in a proper light. The head is
pitchy- black, and the thorax is sometimes of the same
colour as the head, and sometimes blue-black, writh a
faint furrow in the centre, and a deep oblong pit on
either side of the base. The elytra are of the same
colour, and rather flattened, and covered with faint
but regular striae, which are slightly punctured.
Along the edges there is a series of roundish pits.

This Beetle is plentiful in most parts of England,
and may be found in cupboards, cellars, dark out-
houses, and similar localities. There is only one
British species.

WE now come to the pretty little Beetles that are
ranked under the generic title vtAnchomcnus. All these
insects have an elongated thorax, the head egg-shaped
and the antennas with the third joint twice as long as
the second.

38 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

They are very active, and very brilliantly coloured,
and, like most bright-coloured Beetles, love the sun-
shine, in which they dart about with exceeding
rapidity. The popular name of Sun Beetle is given
to these and other insects, in consequence of this
peculiarity. They are sociable little creatures, and,,
when one is seen, others are tolerably sure to be close
at hand. Some of them frequent wet and marshy
places, and may generally be found at the roots of
willows that are planted at the water-side.

One example of this interesting genus is AncJio-
menus dorsalis, which is shown, rather magnified,
in the accompanying woodcut.
The real length of the insect can
be known by reference to the
line that is drawn on its right
side. In this species the head
and thorax are dark-green, and
the flattened elytra are pale
rust-red, diversified with a large
spot of blue-black towards the
apex, but not quite reaching the
tip. They are striated, and the
dorsalis. interstices between the striae are
flat and smooth, without any punctures. Beneath,
it is shining black.

THE family of the Feroniidae, which comes next in
order, comprises a number of Beetles, none of which are
remarkable for beauty, though there are several whose
habits are very curious and interesting. They may be
known by the sinuated, or wavy, form of the elytra at

LIGHTXIXG BEETLES. 39

the apex, and by the basal joints of the front tarsi of
the males. These joints are not squared, like those of
the Chlaeniidae, but are somewhat heart-shaped, and
furnished with two rows of bristles beneath.

Our first example of this family is the Beetle
which is known to entomologists by the name of
PterosticJms madidus, a figure of
which is given herewith. The
colour of the insect is shining
black, with a slight brassy gloss.
The smooth head has two impres-
sions in front ; the thorax is con-
vex and narrow behind, with a
bold central furrow and a deep
wrinkled pit at each angle. A lens
is required to make out these
details. The elytra are covered Pterostichus
with regular striae, a circumstance which has gained
for these insects the generic title of Pterostichus, or
' streaked-wing.' There are a few small punctures on
each elytron, and a row of bold punctures runs along
each margin. The wings are not developed.

This is a very common insect, and can be taken
in any number, as it runs boldly about. Anglers
often use it successfully as bait. Although devoid of
wings, it is very quick on its legs, darting about with
such velocity that the generic name of Steropus, or
' lightning,' was once applied to it and another allied
Beetle.

Twenty-two British species of this genus are now
acknowledged, but in it are merged several genera of
the older entomologists.

40 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

WE now come to one of the largest and most
interesting insects of this family, though assuredly it
is not a beautiful one. This is Broscus cephalotes,
an insect which has been called the giant of its
family. This name it well deserves, as it rivals the
Carabi themselves in size, sometimes reaching nearly
an inch in length. Being a predacious Beetle, it is
gifted with very powerful jaws, which are attached
to a head of more than ordinary size. The specific
name cepJialotes signifies large-headed, and is appro-
priately given to this Beetle. The generic name
Broscus signifies a devourer, and is equally appropriate.

This insect can at once be known by the very
large head, and the shape of the thorax, which is
much narrowed towards its base. A deep furrow
runs along its centre, and its base has a deep pit on
either side. The elytra are rounded at the shoulder,
and striated ; some small punctures being scantily
visible on the striae. The colour of the insect is
black.

In this Beetle we see one of the fiercest and most
voracious of the whole insect race. It lives on the
sea-shore, generally hiding itself beneath decaying
sea-weed or stones, and making burrows under such
points of vantage. From this burrow it issues in
search of prey, and successfully pursues all kinds of
insects, its own kind included. So voracious is it,
and so many insects does it kill, that if it reside for a
day or two in one burrow, it can be detected by the
rejected elytra, limbs, and other parts of insects which
it has caught and eaten. It is the only British ex-
ample of its genus.

SUNSHINERS.

THE large genus Amara now comes before us,
and out of the twenty-four species which are included
in it I have selected Amara obsoleta as our example.
This insect is depicted in the accompanying woodcut.
All the insects belonging to this
genus are small, and most of
them are brightly coloured. They
all take rank as Sun Beetles
or Sun Shiners ; and, fortunately
for them, there is a wide-spread
superstition that it is unlucky
to kill a Sun Beetle, and that its
death will cause terrible storms.

The members of this genus
are rather wide in proportion
to their length, and have the
thorax wide behind, as wide, in
They have large wings, which they can use with great
effect ; and the males have three dilated joints on the
front tarsi. These Beetles are very plentiful, and may
be seen either flying through the air on their ample
wings, running about in full blaze of the sunshine, or
temporarily hiding under sticks and stones.

Although it is no very difficult matter to know an
Amara when it is seen, I must warn the reader that
to distinguish the different species is a task which
requires the minutest attention to the smallest details,
and had better be deferred until the eye has been trained
to seize at once on those small but important charac-
teristics, which at once strike the eye of a practised
entomologist, and invariably elude the scrutiny of a
novice. The eye can only see that which it has the

Amara obsoleta.

fact, as the elytra.

42 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

power of seeing ; and it is worthy of remark that
twenty or thirty young observers will miss exactly
the most important detail in an insect structure until
it is pointed out by an experienced entomologist, when
they will at once see it, and wonder how anything so>
obvious could have eluded them.

In any large genus of insects there is always a
difficulty in deciding upon the different species ; and,,
even among the moths, where size and colour are
tolerably constant, mistakes are continually made.
But, among Beetles, these important elements of size
and colour go for almost nothing, and whenever green
and blue are in question, colour absolutely does go-
fer nothing. Now, in the members of the genus
Amara, blue and green are the leading hues ; and five
individuals, which undoubtedly belong to the same
species, may be respectively bluish-green, greenish-
blue, brassy, coppery, or even black. Then the head
and thorax may be of one colour, and the elytra
of another ; so that no dependence can be placed upon
so uncertain a characteristic.

The present species is a very common one. Its
colour varies from green to black, glossed with brass.
The elytra are striated, and the striae are bolder and
deeper towards the apex than at the base. The head
is nearly smooth, but has a few striae drawn across it
in front.

WE next come to the large family of the Harpalidae,,
of which we shall take one example illustrating the
principal genus. The males of the Harpalidae have
the four basal joints of the front tarsi dilated, and
sometimes the corresponding joints of the middle

LIGHT HATERS. 43

pair of legs. These dilated joints are covered with
stiff bristles. The mentum is deeply notched, and
has a small lobe in the centre.

Unlike the preceding family, which are for the
most part lovers of light and fond of darting about
in the full radiance of the sunbeams, the Harpalidae
withdraw themselves from the light, and hide them-
selves during the daytime in any crevice that may
present itself. Should, for example, the season be a dry
one, the cracks in the earth are sure to be tenanted
by Harpalidae ; and when the spade is employed, many
of the Beetles are turned up together with the soil in
which they have sought a refuge, and sought it in vain.

Our typical example of this interesting family
shall be the very plentiful insect scientifically known
as Harpahis ceneus. In this genus three joints of the
tarsi of both the front and middle pairs of legs are
dilated in the males.

The pretty species which has been chosen as our
example is polished on its upper surface like a mirror,
the colour being exceedingly variable. Some spe-
cimens are brassy, others coppery, others green of
various shades, and others again blue of various
shades, deepening into violet so dark that it appears
to be black. There are some faint striae on the elytra,
and in the flat interstices between the striae are
punctures, very few towards the suture, and plentiful
towards the margin. Beneath it is pitchy-black.
In this insect, as indeed in most of the members of
this genus, the females are much duller than their
mates, this effect being produced by a very fine
granulation of the elytra. There are more than
thirty known British species of this genus.

44 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

WE now come to the last family of the Geodephaga,
namely, the Bembidiidae. In all these Beetles the palpi
are formed differently from those of the preceding
families. If the parts of the mouth be carefully ob-
served, the last joint but one both of the maxillary and
labial palpi will be seen to be very large, while the last
joint is very short and very small, so small indeed that
at first sight it looks more like a spur than a separate
joint. All these insects are lovers of salt and wet places,
and are found on salt marshes near the mouths of tidal
rivers, such, for example, as those which cover the
district between Rochester and Sheerness, and upon
the sea-shore itself.

Small as they mostly are, they are exceedingly vo-
racious, and can kill creatures much larger than them-
selves. There is, for example, Cillenium laterale, a little
copper-coloured Beetle, which never exceeds one-sixth
of an inch in length and is generally much less, which,
in spite of its small size, feeds on the common sand-
hopper, seizing the active crustacean under the body
and so destroying it. Like the ^Epys, which has
already been described, this insect passes much of its
time submerged under salt water.

OUR first example of this interesting family of
Beetles is taken from the typical genus, and is called
Bembidium biguttatum.

Its colour is brassy or bronze-green, and its sur-
face is polished and shining. The head has a shallow
impression on each side. The thorax has a slight
furrow along the centre, and a depression near each
basal angle. The elytra are striated and punctured

THE BEMBIDIUM.

45

nearly as far as the apex, and between the second
and third striae there are two bold impressions, from
which the insect derives its specific name of bigut-
tatum, or ' two-channelled.' There is a reddish-brown
spot at the apex. The under surface of the body is
black, glossed with brassy or bronze reflections.

OUR last example of the Geodephaga is the insect
called Bembidium quadriguttatiim, which is shown in
the illustration accompanying
this description.

This very conspicuous little
Beetle is tolerably common,
and may be found in most
damp places, whether the
water be fresh or salt. The
smooth head has a deep but
short furrow on each side.
The thorax is remarkably
convex in front, and its colour is
shining blue-green, or greenish-
blue, as the case may be. The
elytra are rather convex, and
their colour is something like that of the thorax, but
deepening into violet, which is sometimes so dark
that it appears to be black. On the shoulder of each
elytron is a patch of cream-white, and there is another
near the middle, the insect deriving from these white
marks the specific title of quadriguttatum, or * four-
spotted.' The spot on the shoulder is usually rather
triangular, and that on the middle of the elytron
nearly round.

Bembidium quadriguttatum.

46

CHAPTER IV.

HYDRADEPHAGA.

WE have now completed our notices of the Geode-
phaga, the analogues of the land Carnivora among
the higher animals, and we now come to the HYDRA-
DEPHAGA, or carnivorous Beetles of the water — the
whales, porpoises, and seals of the insect world.

We know that all animals are specially adapted
to the life which they have to lead, and therefore may
naturally expect that Beetles which live in the water
will be formed very differently from those which
reside on the land, even though that land be con-
stantly wet. Shape, for example, is likely to be
altered. We know that the whales, dolphins, and
seals, who have to pass either the whole or the greater
part of their lives in the water, and to catch in it the
living prey on which they feed, become assimilated
in shape to the fishes ; and it is likely that insects
will obey the same laws as mammals. This is really
the case, the shape of all the Hydradephaga being
very fish-like, in order to enable them to pass more
easily through the water. As there is much more
friction in passing through the water than through
the air, the Water Beetles, as the Hydradephaga are

WATER BEETLES. 47

familiarly called, have the various portions of the
body fitting closely to each other, so as to leave an
uniform smooth and polished surface, something like
the scaly surface of the fish, the slippery skin of the
whales and dolphins, and the close-set fur of the
seals.

The limbs are also modified to suit the special
purpose for which they are designed. As these
Beetles walk less than they swim, greater provision
has been made for the latter mode of progression.
Accordingly, the first and middle pairs of legs are
comparatively small and feeble, the strength being
thrown into the hinder pair, which are large in com-
parison with the others, and, in nearly all cases,
flattened and furnished with a fringe of stiff bristles
on the inner side, so that they serve as oars. They
are jointed in a peculiar manner to the body, so that
there is room within the thorax for a set of very
powerful muscles which work them, and they are
placed farther back than is usual among Beetles — a
peculiarity of structure which is found also in the seals
and the diving birds, especially the penguin tribe.

Although they cannot, as a rule, walk well, they
can all fly well, and are furnished with very large and
powerful wings, so that, if food should fail them in
one piece of water, they can fly to another. They
generally fly at night, and have an odd way, when
they reach a pond or stream, of closing their wings
while high in the air, and allowing themselves to fall
like stones into the water. Sometimes, deceived by
the glitter in the moonshine, they have been known
fall upon the roofs of greenhouses.

48 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

Not only the Beetles, but their larvae inhabit the
water, and they are equally predacious in both stages
of existence, the larva being armed with a pair of
enormous sickle-shaped jaws. They are all long and
narrow, and have six minute eyes, or ocelli, at each
side of the head. We will now proceed to our ex-
amples of these insects.

THE Hydradephaga are divided into two families,
the Dyticidae and the Gyrinidae. There is not the
least difficulty in deciding the family to which any
Water Beetle belongs, as a glance at the antennae is
sufficient for the purpose. The antennae of the
Dyticidae are long and slender, and those of the
Gyrinidae are stout, short, and club-like. Moreover,
the first pair of legs are short in the Dyticidae and
long in the Gyrinidae. We begin with the first family,
and take an example of the typical genus.

The GREAT WATER BEETLE (Dyticus margi-
nalis] may be found plentifully in almost any pond,
lake, or slow stream ; either resting with head down-
wards, or propelling itself with its powerful hind
legs. The sexes of this and other species are so
distinct that in the earlier days of entomology
they were looked upon as different species. As
the habits of this Beetle are almost identical with
those of all its family, it will be described at
greater length than can be afforded to the generality
of insects.

If one of these Beetles be examined on the under
side, the metasternum will be seen to have a forked
and rather sharp projection from its centre, the points

COLOUR OF THE WATER BEETLE. 49

being directed to the end of the abdomen. What
may be the object of this curious appendage is not
easy to say ; certain, however, it is, that it can be
used as a weapon on some occasions.

When, for example, an unpractised entomologist
catches one of these Beetles in his hand, and has
taken care to keep his fingers out of the way of its
jaws, he finds himself suddenly and smartly wounded
as the Beetle struggles to regain its liberty. The fact
is, the insect, led by some strange and unaccountable
instinct, always retrogrades when seized in the hand,
and so inflicts a rather unpleasant wound with the
ends of this appendage. Whether or not it knows of
the presence of the weapon, and the use to which it
is put, is of course impossible to say ; but that the
insect can use its forked dagger as well as if it were
thoroughly acquainted with it, any of my readers can
easily test for himself by going to the nearest pond
and catching a Dyticus. Other Water Beetles possess
the forked appendage ; but it takes different shapes in
different species, and is exceedingly useful to entomo-
logists, by enabling them to decide upon the species
when other marks fail them.

As the two sexes are so dissimilar in appearance,
it will be necessary to describe them separately. The
colour of the male Beetle is dark olive, with the
margins of the elytra marked with a yellowish streak,
narrow towards the apex, and widening considerably
towards and on the shoulders. It is in consequence
of this streak that the Beetle has received the specific
name of marginalis. The elytra are very smooth,
with the exception of three rows of punctures on the

E

50 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

disc. There is a reddish-yellow triangular mark on
the forehead, and a very slight ridge on the crown. The
thorax is blacker than the elytra, and, like them, has
the margin yellow.

The legs of this Beetle are excellent examples of
these limbs as they are modified in the Hydrade-
phaga. Both the middle and hind pairs of legs are
flattened, oar-like, and furnished with the bristle
blade, and the coxa is so made that it only allows
one kind of movement to the limb. In consequence
of this peculiarity the Dyticus cannot walk properly,
but only scrambles about ; and if it should by chance
fall on its back on a smooth surface, it spins round
and round in a most ludicrous fashion.

The first pair of legs, however, are the most inter-
esting. We have already seen that, in very many
Beetles, the tarsi of the front pair of legs are dilated
in the male, but there are none which even approach
those of the Dyticus in complexity of structure. The
geodephagous males have the under sur-
face of these dilated joints merely furnished
with a pad, but the Dyticus has a most
wonderful array of suckers, exactly ana-
logous in principle to those which stud the
arms of the cuttle-fish. One of the legs is
ante- nere snown- The three basal joints of the
tarsus are enormously swollen, so that
they assume a plate-like shape. Their upper surface
is smooth enough, but the under surface is covered
with suckers, one of them very large, and the second
about half its size, and a multitude of smaller suckers.
The larger suckers are placed directly upon the joint.

FLIGHT OF THE WATER BEETLE. 51

and the others are at the end of slender footstalks,
looking something like the 'patera ' champagne glasses
with the stems much attenuated.

The female is, as has been stated, very different
from the male in appearance. She does not possess
the wide tarsi which are so conspicuous in her mate.
The elytra are very different from those of the male,
and, instead of being smooth and polished, are deeply
grooved nearly as far as the middle.

The voracity of this Beetle is really astonishing.
It will eat almost any kind of insect, or any kind of
meat, raw or cooked, preferring the former. Some-
times it is placed in fresh-water aquaria by those who
are not acquainted with its powers, and the result is
always disastrous. Not only will it attack every
living creature in the aquarium, but during the night
it is sure to take to its wings and fly off in search of
more food. Even gold fish have been attacked by
this insatiate devourer, which does not even spare
its own kind, and devours the opposite sex as well as
its own. When these Beetles take flight from the
pond or stream in which they have been living, they
always crawl up a reed or a water-plant, so as to gain
space to spread their beautiful wings. In consequence
of this freedom of locomotion, this Beetle may be found
in almost any pond, however small it may be. Even
when ponds have been reduced to mere puddles by
the drought of summer, the Dyticus may be found
plentifully, hiding itself in the still soft mud.

The mode in which this insect breathes is really
wonderful. Being an insect, it is forced to breathe
atmospheric air, and yet it has to pass the greater

52 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

part of its time under water. The problem is solved
by the Beetle converting itself for the nonce into a
diving bell, renewing the supply of air as often as
needful. This feat is accomplished in the following
way: — The body is rather flat, so that there is a
space between the folded wings and the elytra. Now
these elytra are very large, and, when closed, are
quite air-tight. When the Beetle wishes to breathe,
it comes to the surface of the water with its head
downwards, and just exposes the tip of its abdomen
to the air. In a moment it has expelled the air which
has already been used in breathing, and taken in a
fresh supply, with which it dives to the bottom. As
the spiracles, or mouths of the breathing tubes, open
into the space between the elytra and the abdomen,
they can take in the air, and pass it through the
system. Sometimes, if the observer will approach
very quietly, he may see the Beetles floating with
their heads downwards, the tips of their tails just
above the surface of the water, and their hind legs
spread out so as to balance the body in this strange
position. All the Dyticidae employ this curious mode
of supplying themselves with air, but it is most con-
spicuous in the larger species, and is therefore de-
scribed in connection with this Beetle.

Having now glanced at the history of the perfect
Beetle, we will turn to its larval existence.

There is no possibility of evading the fact, that
the larva of the Dyticus is ugly. It is very ugly. It
is the crocodile of the insect world, lying unseen in its
muddy bed, and darting out at any luckless insect
that may pass near it.

LARVA OF THE WATER BEETLE. 53

When full-grown, this larva is two inches in
length. Its colour is yellowish-brown, sometimes
one tint predominating, and sometimes the other.
The reader will see how this sombreness of hue
enables it to lie concealed upon the mud as it waits
for prey. At the end of its body are two slender
appendages fringed with hairs. These appendages
communicate with the breathing tubes which pervade
the body, and the larva may be observed in a position
resembling that which is assumed by the perfect
insect, the head downwards, and the extremity of the
tail just above the surface of the water, suspended
and balanced by the appendages.

The mode in which this formidable creature
obtains its nourishment is very remarkable. The
mandibles are large, sharp, and curved. When
submitted to a good magnifier, they are seen to be
constructed on the same principle as the fangs of a
poisonous serpent, a hollow groove running throughout
their length. This groove is not left open, but is
closed for the greater part of its length by a
membrane, an aperture being left at the base. This
singular structure enables the larva first to plunge its
mandibles deeply into the body of its prey, and then
to suck out its juices through the hollow jaws.

As is the case with the carnivorous Beetles
generally, the larva soon attains its full growth, and,
when the time is at hand for its change into the
helpless pupal condition, it takes itself to the bank,
up which it climbs, and, burrowing into the damp
earth, forms for itself a sort of round cell or cocoon, within
which it assumes the pupal form. Should the change

54 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

occur in the summer, the pupa changes into a Beetle
in a fortnight or a few days more, according to the
warmth of the weather ; but if the larva should retire
within its cell in the autumn, it remains dormant
during the winter, and does not appear until the
following spring. As is the case with dark -coloured
Beetles generally, the newly-developed insect is very
light in colour and soft in texture, not assuming its hard,
dark coat of mail until the expiration of some days.

There are altogether six British species of this
genus.

WE now pass on to another genus, of which
twenty-one species are acknowledged to inhabit
England, and will take, as our example, Agabus
bipunctatus, a figure of which is appended hereto.

It has already been mentioned that the Dyticidae
inhabit equally running or still water, and that they
may be found indiscriminately in
rivers and ponds. Yet, some
species prefer the still, and others
the running waters, and the latter
insects are almost always of brighter
colour than the former. Such is
the case with the pretty little Beetle
which is now before us. The head
is yellow in front, and black on the
crown, with two rust-red spots,
biguttatus. sometimes fused into one, and
sometimes so faint as to be scarcely visible. The
thorax is yellow, with the exception of two round black
spots on the disc. These sometimes are fused to-

THE HYDROPORI. 55

gether, like those of the head. The elytra are pale
yellow, diversified with small black-brown streaks, a
brighter yellow spot near the middle, and a stripe of
the same colour down the suture, and upon the lateral
margins.

PASSING over several genera we come to a Beetle
which is called Hydroporus duodeciin-pustnlatus, and
which is selected as an example of a very large genus
containing between forty and fifty species. All the
Beetles of this genus have their bodies much flattened,
and the tarsi of the first and middle pair of legs with
four joints, while those of the hind pair have five
joints. The two first joints of the antennae are
rather longer than the others.

They are all small Beetles, and the present species
is perhaps the largest of its fellows, though it is, on
an average, only a quarter of an inch in length. The
colour of the head is dull reddish-brown, lighter and
redder in the middle. The anterior margin of the
thorax has a black stripe in the middle, while a
similar stripe on the posterior margin is widened so as
to form two black lobe-like marks on the thorax. The
elytra are black, and on each elytron are six spots of
the same colour as the middle of the head, three of the
spots running parallel with the suture, and the other
three being placed along the margin. Beneath, the
body is yellowish.

This pretty little Beetle is exceedingly common
in some places, and correspondingly rare in others.
Although the spots differ much in size and shape, and

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

in some specimens are even fused into each otherr
there is no difficulty in recognising the insect.

OUR next example of the Hydradephaga is Halt-
plus variegates^ an insect which is shown in the
accompanying illustration.

Like the last species, this is a pretty little Beetle,
and exceedingly variable in its colour, so variable
indeed that it has been described
by the same writer under the
name of at least two species. It
is a very small insect, not quite
one-sixth of an inch in length.
Its usual colour is as follows : —
The head is dark brick-red,
deepening into blackish-brown on
the top. The thorax is paler than
the head. The elytra are rather
convex, sharply pointed, deep
reddish-brown in colour, and have
some blackish spots near the
margin. This variety is common ; but there is one
which is much rarer, and in this the general hue is
greyish-yellow, and the whole insect altogether lighter
in colour. The brightest-coloured specimens are
found in rather swift streams running through a
gravelly soil. .

There are twelve British species belonging to this
genus.

Haliplus variegatus.

HAVING now gone through the Dyticidae, we
come to the second family of the Hydradephaga —

WHIRLIGIG BEETLES. 57

that of the Gyrinidae, or Whirligig Beetles, so called
on account of the manner in which they whirl them-
selves about on the surface of the water.

There is not the least difficulty in determining
whether or not a Water Beetle belongs to the
Gyrinidse. Besides the distinctions before mentioned,
all the Gyrinidae appear to differ not only from the
Dyticidae, but from Beetles generally, in having, or
rather in appearing to have, four compound eyes
instead of two. The real fact, however, is that, in
order to suit the peculiar habits of the insects, the
structure of the eye is modified.

These Beetles pass the greater part of their time
on the surface of the water, rowing themselves about
with wonderful velocity, and always on the look-out
for prey. If the eyes were formed like those of the
Dyticidae, the water would certainly impinge against
them and render the insect incapable of seeing by
reason of the drops of water which would be continu-
ally splashed over its eyes. In order to enable it to
see properly above the surface, it is needful that the
eyes should be placed high enough to be out of reach
of the water ; and to enable it to see objects in the
water, it is necessary that the eyes should be sub-
merged.

The eyes of the Whirligig Beetles are in fact
water-telescopes. Instead of being placed in two
masses, one on each side of the head, each is divided
by the portion of the head which carries the antennae ;
so that half of the eye-cluster is well out of the water
and can see objects above the surface, while the other
half is submerged, and can see objects beneath it.

58 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

The COMMON WHIRLIGIG, Gyrinus natator, is
very gregarious in its habits, and may generally be
seen in small companies, whirling about on the surface
of the water in very still and sheltered places. As
they dart about, they often strike against each other ;
but the shock does no harm to their hard and polished
bodies, and they go on with their unceasing round as
if nothing had happened. Their chief object in thus
continually darting over the surface is to obtain food,
which consists principally of small flies, Beetles, and
other insects which fall into the water. They use
their long fore legs in the capture of prey. They are
watchful little Beetles, and if they fear danger they
dive to the bottom, and there remain until they think
that they can return in safety to the surface.

The life history of the Gyrinus is rather a curious
one, and is much the same with all the species. The
eggs are deposited on a water-plant, and laid in
regular rows. From them, in a week or a little more,
the curious larvae are hatched. The larva is dirty-
white in colour, and has a large, flat, oval head, armed
with powerful jaws, and six rather long legs ; while
from each side of the eight last joints of the body
proceeds a very slender filament, which is part of the
respiratory system. The last segment has two pairs
of these filaments, each of which is seen, on being
viewed by the aid of the microscope, to contain an
air-tube, which passes into the body and there joins
the general system. When in the water its appear-
ance is very much like that of a centipede, except
that the respiratory filaments have no independent

LARVA OF GYRINUS. 59

motion, like the legs of the centipede, but trail loosely
in the water.

In due time the larva is full-fed, and it then, as do
many other aquatic creatures, leaves the water and
crawls up the stem of a water-plant, until it is several
inches above the surface. Having found a safe place,
it spins for itself a small grey cocoon, and there waits
until it has assumed its perfect state, when it breaks
through the walls of the cover, and again seeks the
water.

There are ten English species of Gyrinus, some of
wrhich are rarer than others. The present species,
which is the most common, is about a quarter of an
inch in length, and blue-black in colour, with a red-
dish mouth. The elytra are greenish at the margins,
and become narrowed towards the apex. They are
very slightly striated and punctured.

6o

CHAPTER V.

BRACHELYTRA.

THE group of Beetles which comes next in order is
equally conspicuous with the Hydradephaga, but
utterly unlike it or any of the groups which have
been described. These Beetles are long-bodied,
agile, and seem to play the same part among Cole-
optera as the weasel tribe among the Mammalia.
Most, though not all of them, are predatorial, and
some of them, especially the larger species, are ex-
ceedingly fierce as well as voracious, and will fight
any foe, no matter how much they may be over-
matched.

The name Brachelytra is a very appropriate one,
signifying short elytra. These insects have the elytra
very short and squared, so short indeed that six or
seven segments of the abdomen generally protrude
beyond them. Although the elytra are so small, the
wings are very large ; and, though they must neces-
sarily be folded in a most complicated manner before
they can be packed under the elytra, these insects can
take the air with more readiness than any other
Beetles, except, perhaps, the Tiger Beetles, whose
manner of flight has been before described. In fold-

ROVE BEETLES. 61

Ing the wings under the elytra, the -Beetle is obliged
to act in a very curious manner, bending the tail over
the back, and with the extremity of the body arrang-
ing the wings under their sheaths. The earwig uses
its forceps for a similar purpose, as we shall see when
we come to that insect. The
accompanying woodcut shows
one of the large Brachelytra in
the act of packing up its wings.
In consequence of their activity
both on the wing and on foot,
these insects have gained the
popular name of ROVE BEETLES.

All these Beetles have the habit of bending their
bodies upwards when alarmed, for which reason they
have received the popular name of Cocktail Beetles.
This act has, in the larger species, so menacing an
aspect that many persons are afraid to touch so for-
midable an insect. In reality, the smaller species are
more to be dreaded than the larger. I have already
mentioned that the Brachelytra take easily to wing,
when they may be mistaken for flies, so ample are
their wings and so quick their movements. Many of
them are very small — not thicker than an ordinary
horsehair — and these are almost invariably the little
black * flies ' that are in the habit of getting into the
eye on fine summer evenings, and causing an amount
of pain which seems quite disproportionate to the size
of the insect. Of course even a small fly would cause
pain if it got into the eye ; but when one of these
Beetles finds itself imprisoned, it instinctively turns up
its pointed tail, and thus causes a double amount of

62 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

irritation. I believe that, out of every ten 'flies ' that
get into the eye, seven are Brachelytra.

Although the larger Brachelytra need not be
particularly dreaded, in spite of their fierce looks, it is
as well not to handle them without necessity. Their
bite, although sharp, is of no particular consequence ;
but they possess a more formidable weapon than their
jaws. At the end of the tail are two tubercles, which
exude a secretion of the most odious character. Like
that of the skunk, it has an odour, or rather a stench,
peculiarly — and fortunately so— its own, and which
cannot be described by any comparison. That of the
common snake, when irritated, comes, perhaps, nearer
it than any other ; but even that singularly unpleasant
emanation is not so utterly disgusting as the effluvium
of an angry Rove Beetle.

THE first family is that of the Aleocharidae. In
this family the front tarsi of the males are not wider
than those of the females, but the sexes can be dis-
tinguished by looking at the last segment but one of
the abdomen, and seeing whether it is tubercled,
ridged, or has a thicker posterior margin. In such
cases the insect is of the male sex.

THE typical genus AleocJiara has the head deeply
sunk into the thorax, which is convex and broad.
The elytra are broader than they are long. The
abdomen has a flattened margin along the sides, and
the tarsi have five joints, the basal joint of the hinder
tarsi being longest. The antennae are short, stout,
and the fourth and tenth joints are of equal length.

THE HOMALOTA. 63

In the accompanying woodcut is represented a
good example of this genus, A leochara fuscipes.

The colour of this Beetle is shining-black. The
antennae are short and thickened in the middle. The
elytra are red, edged with black,
and the legs and base of the
antennae are red, the thighs being
dull-brown instead of red. This
insect flies rapidly. It is a
common species, and, small as it
is, yet is the largest of its genus.
It haunts decaying substances,
whether animal or vegetable.
Fifteen British species are known. Aieochara fu

THE Beetle which is our last example of this
family belongs to an enormous genus, containing at
least 1 60 species. Its name is Homalota bninnea,
and it is depicted on page 64.

In this genus the head is without any distinct
neck, and the body is narrow and much flattened.
The tarsi of the front legs have four joints, and those
of the hind legs five joints, the four first joints being
equal in size. The joints of the antennae are bead-
like.

The present species is a flat, shining, brick-red
insect, with the exception of the head and the last
segment but one of the abdomen, which are grey-
black, the abdomen being thickly and rather deeply
punctured. There is a very shallow groove in the
middle of the thorax. The legs are pale reddish-
brown.

64

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

This is a very common insect, and yet Mr. E. A.
Smith, who has long given much attention to the
Brachelytra, tells me that he cannot
fix upon any special locality for it,
having found it indifferently in sand-
pits, on palings, and similar places.
Indeed, the whole family is a very
bewildering and troublesome one to
the investigator, and would require
the uninterrupted labour of several
years before it could be thoroughly
mastered.

Homalota brunnea.

THE family of the Tachyporidae
comes next in order. These Beetles have the head
usually sunk deeply in the thorax, without any dis-
tinct neck. The spiracles of the prothorax are con-
spicuous, and the antennae are before the eyes, on the
margin of the forehead. The males have the basal
joints of the tarsi dilated. All these Beetles are un-
rivalled for their speed, and in consequence of this
characteristic the name of Tachyporida, or 'swift-
footed,' has been given to them.

OUR first example of this family is a Beetle called
Boletobius atricapillus. The insects of this genus live
in fungi of different kinds, on which account they are
called by the name of Boletobius, or ' fungus-inhabit-
ing.' Others are seen as they appear when running
in and out of the gills of a mushroom. In this genus,
which contains four species, the body narrows to a
point behind, the head is long, the palpi slender, and

THE STAPHYLINI. 65

the antennae are long in proportion to the size of the
insect.

The general colour of this species is glossy-red
and shining. The head, breast, scutellum, and tip of
the abdomen are black, and the elytra are blue-black
with a cream-white curved mark on the shoulder, and
a line of the same colour upon the posterior margin.
The antennae are rather curiously coloured, the four
first joints being black, the next five pale-red, and the
last black, like those of the base.

It is a very common insect, and may be found in
fungi in the autumn. Indeed, in consequence of
their fungus-loving habits, all these Beetles are to be
found towards the close of the year. None of the
Tachyporidae are large, and though most of them
frequent fungi, many are found under leaf-heaps, in
bones, and similar localities.

THE family of the Staphylinidae, which comes
next in order, contains the largest species of this
group of Beetles, some of them reaching, or even
slightly exceeding, an inch in length. They may be
known by several peculiarities of structure. The
antennae are set far apart, their junction with the
head being in front, within the base of the mandibles,
which are large and formidable. The maxillary palpi
are slender, and the ligula small. The spiracles of
the prothorax are large. The tarsi of the front feet
are dilated in the males and slender in the females.
The jaws, too, are not so powerful in the female,
neither are their heads so large as is the case with
the other sex.

F

66

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

OUR first example of the Staphylinidae is one of
the finest — in my opinion the very finest — of that
family. It is called scientifically
Creophilus maxillosns, but has, unfor-
tunately, no popular name, probably
because it is confounded in the
popular mind with the common black
species, which will be presently
described. Its name is more appro-
priate and expressive than is gene-
rally the case with insect names.
Creophilus maxiiiosus. j^g worcj Creophilus is of Greek
origin, and signifies 'flesh-lover/ while the specific
title of maxiiiosus signifies ' large-jawed.' Both names
show that those who affixed them to the insect were
thoroughly acquainted with its character and form,
for the Beetle is a most voracious carrion eater, and
has jaws that are of enormous size in proportion to its
body. The colour of this Beetle is shining-black,
but it is mottled with short grey down.

In some places this Beetle is tolerably plentiful,
but in others it is seldom if ever seen. It can gene-
rally be captured in the bodies of moles that
have been suspended by the professional mole-
catchers — and, indeed, these unfortunate moles are
absolute treasure-houses for the coleopterist, as we
shall see when we come to the next group of Beetles.
It is the only British species of its genus, and can be
distinguished by having short and thickened antennae,
smooth head and thorax, and the latter rounded.

Now comes an insect that is very familiar to us,

AN UNPLEASANT ODOUR. 67

the DEVIL'S COACH-HORSE, as it is popularly and
fancifully called. Its scientific name is Ocypus olens.

I really think that this is the very ugliest insect
in England. It is scarcely so repulsive as the cock-
roach, its wonderful courage and spirit being redeem-
ing points, but it is so very hideous, that the popular
name exactly expresses its appearance. Its colour is
dull, dead-black ; its eyes, which scarcely project from
the head, have a cold, cruel look about them, and its
tail, when raised menacingly like that of a scorpion,
protrudes two yellow vesicles at the tip, from which
emanates the horrible odour that has been already
mentioned. Sometimes it finds its way into cellars
and larders, if they be wholly or partially under-
ground ; and then the servants are always much
alarmed at the creature, of which they have a dread
which is superstitious rather than the offspring of
mere prejudice or ignorance.

This is one of the most active of Beetles. Being
furnished, like all its family, with long and ample
wings, and not being burdened, like the chafers, with
a thick and heavy body, it flies with great rapidity,
and can pass over incredible distances without being
obliged to rest. It is equally active on the ground,
for which reason the generic name of Ocypus, or ' swift-
footed,' has been given to it. Some writers on ento-
mology have given to this insect the generic name of
Goerius, or ' mournful,' in consequence of its sombre
and funereal colouring. The specific title olens, or
•* stinking,' is given to it in consequence of the horrible
•emanations from the tail tubercles.

We will now glance at the life history of this

F 2

68 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

Beetle, which, in spite of its ugliness, is really a very
interesting one.

The eggs of all the Staphylinidae are large in pro-
portion to the creature which produces them, but
those of the Devil's Coach-horse are larger than those
of the largest British insect, being one-tenth of an
inch in length and one-twelfth broad.

When these are hatched, little larvae issue from
them, somewhat similar in form to the parent insect,
though, of course, without any vestige of wings.
These larvae are quite as fierce as the perfect insects,
and much more voracious, eating being indeed, as
with all larvae, the chief business of their lives. They
are predacious, and, though they will devour carrion
when they can procure it, will attack and kill any
insect which comes near them, not even sparing their
own kind. They have an ingenious mode of seizing
their prey in the soft interval between the head and
neck, and then, plunging their sharp and curved jaws
deeply into its body, they suck out its juices.

They can be found throughout the spring, and
may often be captured by digging shallow holes in
the ground in some sheltered spot, placing a piece
of meat, a dead bird or a frog, in the hole, and
covering it with a stone so as to protect it from the
elements, but leaving space for the ingress and
egress of the Beetles. Towards the end of spring
or the beginning of summer, the larva is full fed, and
burrows a hole in the earth, in which it undergoes
the change to the perfect form.

There is a strange peculiarity about the pupae of
these Beetles. With nearly all wing-bearing Cole-

USE OF THE STAPHYLINL 69

•optera, the wings are folded under the elytra, even
though the latter organs be comparatively short I
but, in the pupae of these curious Beetles, the wings
are extended beyond the elytra and fold over
the breast, so that two-thirds of their length is seen
beyond the elytra. They remain in the pupal state
for a fortnight or three weeks, and then assume the
perfect form. The Beetle is most plentiful in the
autumn. I strongly recommend any of my readers
not to injure this .Beetle, repulsive as it may appear.
It does no harm, either to the garden, the orchard, or
the field, but, on the contrary, from its inveterate
insect-eating habits, rather confers a benefit on the
agriculturist.

There are ten British species of this genus, which
is known by the long thread-like antennae, with the
last joint oblique at the tip, and the
large head.

OUR next example of the Sta-
phylinidae is an insect of much less
size and very different shape, called
Philonthus inarginatus, the only
specimen that we can take of the
very large genus, of which forty-seven
British species are acknowledged.
In this genus the thorax is squared,
the antennae and palpi are slender, philonthus m»ginatuS.
and there is a strong tooth in the middle of each
mandible. The name Philonthus signifies ' dung-
loving,' and is given to this genus because the largest
and most conspicuous species are found under patches

70 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

of cow or horsedung. Some of the smaller species,,
however, live under heaps of decaying sea-weed, such
as Philonthus fucicola, the latter term signifying some
creature that inhabits sea-weed. The present species
is generally to be found under dead leaves.

The colour of this little Beetle is black, but the
legs and the margin of the thorax are reddish-yellow,
a peculiarity from which it derives its specific
name marginatus. The middle segments of the
abdomen have their edges yellow. This is a very
curious Beetle.

NEXT comes the family of the Stenidae. These
insects may be known by the position of the antennas,
which are generally set between the eyes or on the
front margin of the forehead. The basal joint of the
maxillary palpi is long, and the last joint almost
imperceptible.

Sometimes the young entomologist is much
puzzled by a phenomenon which takes place with
sundry small Beetles belonging to
the Brachelytra. As soon as they
are killed a long and slender tongue-
like organ darts from the mouth,,
and protrudes itself until it looks
like a proboscis. These Beetles
belong to the genus Stenus, of
^ \vhich we have an example in

Stenus bimaculatus, which is here-

Stenusbimaculatus. wjth shown. This tongUC-Hke

organ is in fact composed of the ligula, the two para-
glossae, and the labial palpi. The mandibles of this.

THE STENI. 71

genus are strongly formed, having one very large
tooth, and four very small teeth. The fourth joint of
the tarsi has a slightly double lobe.

The present species is black, with the exception
of a round tawny spot on each elytron, from which
the insect has derived its specific name of bimaciilatus,
or ' two-spotted.' The surface is thickly and deeply
punctured, and is covered with a scanty whitish down.
There is a deep furrow along the middle of the
thorax. The legs are tawny, with the exception of
the knees and tarsi, which are black.

This is a very good example of the genus, and
indeed so well exhibits the characteristics of the
family that it is worth a detailed examination. It. is
a very common insect, being found all over England,
and almost always to be taken on the banks of ponds
and rivers among the aquatic plants. In tolerably
warm weather it may be taken running about upon
the stems of the plants, and on cold days lurking in
the muddy soil about their roots. Mr. E. A. Smith,
to whom I am indebted for much information con-
cerning the smaller Brachelytra, tells me that all the
spotted Steni are found in the wettest situations.
This genus is a very large one, containing more than
fifty species.

THE next family on our list is that of the Homa-
lidae. In these Beetles the spiracles of the prothorax
are hidden, the antennae are set on the sides of the
forehead, and the maxillae have a horny hook at the
tip. There are two ocelli, or simple eyes, upon the
back of the head, this being a very valuable charac-

72 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

teristic in arranging these insects. As a rule the
Homalidae have flattened bodies, and long slender
antennae, and delight in damp places, whether wetted
by fresh or salt water ; so that they can be found
under heaps of decaying sea-weeds on the coasts, and
under stones on the banks of ponds. Some of them
may be found under bark, and some in flowers ; so
that they have a very wide range of locality.

OUR typical example of the family is shown in the
accompanying woodcut, its name being Homalium
florale. In this genus the body is rather
oval and flattened. The antennae are
short and hairy, becoming thicker at the
tips. The thorax is short, somewhat
heart-shaped, and narrowed behind.
The four basal joints of the tarsi are
short.

The species which serves as our
example of the typical genus is greyish-

Homalium florale. black and shjn;ng> the surface being

thickly punctured, and the punctures inclined to form
striae on the elytra. The legs are reddish, and the
antennae and palpi black. This is one of the flower-
loving species, being found in the spring time fre-
quenting the flowers of the hawthorn and sallows. It
is distributed over England generally, but does not
seem to be plentiful in any particular locality.
Twenty British species of this genus are known.

73

CHAPTER VI.

NECROPHAGA.

THE reader will probably observe that, in the groups
of insects which have already been described, allusion
has been made to the analogies between them and
certain groups of vertebrates. The Geodephaga, for
example, represent the land Carnivora, the Hydrade-
phaga those of the water, and the Brachelytra repre-
sent in some degree the slender and lithe-bodied
weasels. We now come to a group which takes
among insects the part which is played among the
higher animals by the hyenas and vultures, these
Beetles being the scavengers of the insect world.

The name NECROPHAGA, i.e. 'carrion-eaters,
which distinguishes this group, is expressive of their
character. By some systematic entomologists they
are called CLAVICORNES, or ' club-horned,' because
their antennae, slender at the base, are expanded at
their tips into a rounded knob. This shape of
antennae is called ' clavate ' by entomologists. The
form of the antennae is an admirable characteristic by
which these Beetles may be known. There is no
palpus on the inner lobe of the maxilla, the scutellum
is always conspicuous, and the elytra are wide, though

74 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

not always long. Indeed,- in many species they do
not nearly reach the end of the abdomen, and are
quite as short as those of many Brachelytra. In such
cases they are generally ' truncate/ i.e. looking as if
they had been cut off square.

THIS is the case with the first family of Necro-
phaga, the Silphidae. The mandibles are powerful,
as is required for the work which they have to perform,,
there is a very distinct labrum, and the trochanters
of the hind legs are projecting. These are again
subdivided into two sub-families ; the first being
called Silphina, and the latter Cholevina. The
former sub-family may be known by the fact that the
antennae have ten joints, and a very distinct and
rounded club. Their wings are very large and power-
ful, as is needful for insects whose food is necessarily
scattered over a very wide area. It is worthy of
notice that, when they are flying, their elytra are
carried very upright, so that their backs approach
quite closely to each other.

The first genus of the Silphidae is Necrophorus, a
word which signifies * carrion-bearer,' in allusion to
the singular habits possessed by all the Beetles of this
genus. They do not content themselves with merely
eating their food, but they bury it, and then lay their
eggs in it, so that it serves not only as a feast for
themselves, but as a provision for their future young.
In consequence of this habit, they go by the popular
name of BURYING, or SEXTON BEETLES. It is a
very appropriate name, for there is scarcely any dead
animal or portion of an animal which they will not

CARRION BEETLES. 75

contrive to bury ; and if it be too large for one Beetle,
several others will take a share in the work.

They will bury birds, frogs, rabbits, pieces of meat,
or anything of a similar kind, and do it with wonder-
ful rapidity ; thus rendering a doubly important
service, by removing the decaying animal matter from
the surface of the earth, and helping to fertilise the
ground by burying it below the surface. The manner
in which these Beetles execute so difficult a task is
admirably told by Mr. E. Newman, in his ' Letters of
Rusticus : ' —

' Two days after, I was again in Godbold's ; and
seeing the bullfinch lie where he had been left, I lifted
him up by the leg, intending to make a present of
him to a fine colony of ants established, a little further
on, in the days of General Oglethorpe, and which had
maintained their station ever since. They had made
many a pretty skeleton for me, and I intended to add
that of a bullfinch to the store ; but the buzz of a
Beetle round my head caught my ear. He flew
smack against the bullfinch, which I was holding up
by the leg, and fell at my feet. I knew that the
gentleman was a Burying Beetle ; and as I put the
bird down for him, he soon found it, mounted upon it,
and, after much examination, opened out his wing-
cases and flew away. I will profit by his absence to
tell you a bit of his history.

' The Burying Beetle is about an inch in length ;
he is black, with two bands across his back of a
bright-orange colour : these bands are formed by two
blotches of that colour on each of the wing-cases. He
is a disgusting creature though in such a gay dress,

76 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

being so fetid that one's hands smell for hours after
handling him ; and if he crawls on one's coat, or
other garments not often washed, the smell continues
for days. The whole tribe of Burying Beetles lay
their eggs in the bodies of dead animals, which, when
possible, they bury for the purpose.

1 The Burying Beetles hunt in couples, male and
female, and when six or eight are found in a large
animal, they are almost sure to be males and females
in equal numbers. They hunt by scent only, the
chase being mostly performed when no other sense
would be very available — viz. in the night. When
they have found a bird, great comfort is expressed by
the male, who wheels round and round above it like
an eagle ; the female settles on it at once, without
this testimonial of satisfaction. The male at last
settles also, and the bird undergoes the scrutiny of
four at least of the senses — touch, smell, sight, and
taste — for their heads are continually diving among
the feathers of the bird, and a savoury and ample
meal is made before the great work is begun. After
the Beetles have appeased the calls of hunger, the
bird is abandoned for a while ; they both leave it to
•explore the earth in the neighbourhood, and ascertain
whether the place is suitable for interment. If on a
ploughed field, there is no difficulty ; but if on grass
or among stones, much labour is required to draw the
body to a more suitable place.

' The operation of burying is performed almost
entirely by the male Beetle, the female mostly hiding
herself in the body of the bird about to be buried, or
sitting quietly upon it, and allowing herself to be

THE BURYING BEETLE. 77

buried with it. The male begins by digging a furrow
all round the bird, at a distance of about half an
inch, turning the earth outside. His head is the
only tool used in this operation ; it is held sloping
outwards, and is exceedingly powerful. After the
first furrow is completed, another is made within it,
and the earth is thrown into the first furrow ; then a
third furrow is made, which being under the bird, the
Beetle is out of sight. Now the operation can only
be traced by the heaving of the earth, which soon
forms a little rampart round the bird ; as the earth is
moved from beneath, and the surrounding rampart
increases in height, the bird sinks. After incessant
labour for about three hours the Beetle emerges,
crawls upon the bird, and takes a survey of his work.
If the female is on the bird, she is driven away by
the male, who does not choose to be intruded on
during the important business.

' The male Beetle then remains for about an hour
perfectly still, does not stir hand or foot ; he then
dismounts, diving again into the grave, and pulls the
bird down by the feathers for half an hour. Its own
weight appears to sink it but very little. The earth
then begins heaving and rising all round, as though
under the influence of a little earthquake ; the feathers
of the bird are again pulled, and again the bird de-
scends. At last, after two or three hours' more labour,
the Beetle comes up again, gets on the bird, and again
takes a survey, and then drops down as though dead, or
fallen suddenly fast asleep. When sufficiently rested,
he rouses himself, treads the bird firmly into its grave,
pulls it by the feathers this way and that way, and,

78 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

having settled it to his mind, begins to shovel in the
earth. This is done in a very short time, by means
of its broad head. He goes behind the rampart of
earth, and pushes it into the grave with amazing
strength and dexterity, the head being bent directly
downwards at first, and then the nose elevated with a
kind of jerk, which sends the earth forwards. After
the grave is thus filled up, the earth is trodden in,
and undergoes another keen scrutiny all round, the
bird being completely hidden ; the Beetle then makes
a hole in the still loose earth, and, having buried the
bird and his own bride, next buries himself. The
female lays her eggs in the carcass of the bird, in
number proportioned to its size ; and after this opera-
tion is over, and the pair have eaten as much of the
savoury viand as they please, they make their way
out, and fly away in quest of further adventures.'

A VERY common species of this genus is the large
Necrophorus humator, which may be found in all parts
of the country. This is a large, though not brightly-
coloured species. It sometimes exceeds an inch in
length, and its colour is deep, shining-black, with the
three last joints of the antennae reddish-yellow. The
fringe-like pads of the tarsi are of the same colour.

An equally abundant species is Necrophorus
vespillo, which is very much smaller than the preceding
insect. It is very different in appearance from the
Necrophorus humator, the ground colour being black,
while two broad, waved bands cross the elytra, one at
the base, and the other towards the apex, both being
connected by a narrow band of the same colour upon

ODD LARVAE. 79

the margin. The hinder tibiae are not straight, as in
all the other members of the genus, but are strongly
curved, like those of a bow-legged man.

We will now trace the progress of the insect from
the egg to the perfect Beetle.

Soon after they are deposited, the eggs are
hatched ; the larvae being rather long, fleshy,
narrowed at each end, and having the segments, or
rings, of the body very distinctly marked. The legs
are very tiny, and much too small to move the large,
heavy body. A curious substitute for legs is, how-
ever, found. On the upper surface of each segment
is a horny plate, with strongly-toothed edges. By
alternately elongating and shortening its body, the
creature is able to force its way through the soft
material on which it feeds, just as a snake glides upon
the ground, or the worm beneath it. Imperfect as
these appliances may seem to be, they enable the
larva to scramble along with tolerable speed.

When the larva has attained the length of an inch
and a half, and is full-fed, it prepares for its change
into the pupal state. This it does by ceasing to
feed, and making for itself a sort of cell or cocoon
under the ground, in which it casts off its larva skin,
and becomes a rather odd-looking pupa, having the
end of its tail armed with two sharp spines, by
means of which it is able to turn itself about in its
cell, from which it emerges, in the spring, a perfect
Beetle.

THE genus Silpha is known by the flattened body,
the antennae being less boldly clubbed, and having

8o COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

eleven joints instead of ten. There are fourteen
species inhabiting England, and they are, with one
exception, much smaller than the members of the
preceding genera. The handsomest of the British
Silphae is called scientifically Silpha thoracica, and
can be identified at a glance. This fine insect is
readily known by its colouring. The head is black,
and the thorax is brick-red, covered with a very
short golden down, and much crumpled. The elytra
are very much like those of the preceding insect,
being black, and traversed longitudinally by three
ridges, the second and third of which are connected
by a raised tubercle.

The larvae of all the Silphas are very different
from those of Necrophorus. Instead of being
sluggish, fat, long-bodied grubs, they are active, flat,
and wide, running about with wonderful velocity. A
heap of old marrow bones is a very favourite haunt of
these larvae, and, if the bones are tapped so as to
disturb without hurting their inmates, it is wonderful
to see how the flat, black larvae come scurrying out,
looking very much like black wood-lice, and perfectly
well able to take care of themselves ; while the larvae
of Necrophorus lie utterly helpless on the surface of
the ground. Silphae maybe found in much the same
localities as the preceding insects. The best places to
find them are, however, the moles that are too often
seen suspended on twigs, and the more moles there
are near each other, the richer will be the harvest of
Silphae. I have found that ten moles on one branch
contain many more Silphae than double the number
scattered over a wide area.

KEEPERS' TREES. 81

But the ' happy hunting grounds ' of any entomo-
logist who is looking after Necrophaga are the
' keepers' trees,' those monuments of misguided energy.
The best keepers' trees, in an entomological point of
view, are those of the New Forest, and on them are
found the carcases of owls, weasels, stoats, hawks,
magpies, ravens, and now and then a rare bird or two,
such as the honey-buzzard. The suspended carcases
look quiet enough, but when the net is held under
one of them, and a series of taps administered, it is
wonderful to see how it swarms with animal life.
First, out come Beetles of various kinds, some trying
to fly away as soon as they reach the open air, but
most letting themselves fall into the net. Next
comes a whole swarm of larvae, and, when the bird is
a large one, it really seems as if the creatures never
would cease from pouring out. Those who wish to
collect and watch the habits of these Beetles cannot
do better than make a preserve for them by hanging
up the body of a rabbit, a puppy, a kitten, or some
such creature, so that it may be within reach of the
eye, and out of the reach of any except winged
devourers.

The word SilpJia is Greek, and signifies an ill-
smelling insect, but the nomenclature of the ancient
writers is so uncertain that we cannot absolutely
identify the name with the insect. The specific name
thoracica refers to the very conspicuous colour and
the large size of the thorax.

THE sub-family of the Cholevina are known by
their narrower bodies, and their heads being sunk in

G

82 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

the thorax. One of these Beetles, belonging to the
typical genus, is known in science as Choleva angustata,
but possesses no popular title.

The genus, of which there are seventeen British

o

species, is known by its narrow body, its long and
slender legs and antennae, the very obtuse hinder
angles of the thorax, and the oval and striated elytra.
The head is black and shining, the thorax is pitchy-
black, becoming greyish at the margins and posterior
angles. The elytra are rather variable in colour,
black being the leading hue, but they take shades of
red or grey according to the individual. The apex is
round and short, and each elytron is marked with
seven faint striae. The legs are pale reddish-yellow.

The body is covered with a very fine and very
short yellowish down. It is not a large insect, seldom
exceeding one-sixth of an inch in length.

It is not uncommon to take a specimen that is
pale rusty-red or yellow, the reason for this paler hue
being that the Beetle has only recently emerged from
the pupal state, so that the atmosphere has not exer-
cised its full influence upon it. When it has been
exposed for a few days to the air and light, the
reddish-yellow will change to the dark-red or grey-
black which is the usual colour of the Beetle.

THE important family of the Histeridse now
comes before us. These are flattish square-bodied
Beetles, with a sort of steely look about them, and as
hard to the touch as if their elytra were veritable
pieces of plate armour. It is no easy task to get a
fine entomological pin through these creatures, the

MIMIC BEETLES. 83

pin either bending, or its point repeatedly slipping off
the hard and polished surface of the Beetle in a
manner calculated to injure the temper as well as the
pin. I always used to keep by me a rather fine
needle fixed in a handle, and projecting about one-
third of an inch, so that I could pierce the hard elytra
with the steel point, and then introduce the pin.
This needle was useful in setting many other hard-
bodied Beetles, especially some of the weevils.

These hard and glossy elytra are much shorter
than the body, and abruptly truncated ; but below
them may be seen a beautiful and wide pair of wings
packed away with wonderful neatness. The basal
joint of the antennae is very long, and the club is
boldly marked, the three last joints being almost
fused into a globular and velvety knob. The generic
name of Hister is derived from a Latin word signify-
ing an actor or a mimic, and is given to these Beetles
on account of their habit of simulating death when
alarmed. The popular name of MIMIC BEETLES is
often given to them by entomologists.

One of the handsomest species of this genus is the
FOUR SPOT MIMIC BEETLE (Hister quadrimaculatus).
The colour of this insect is black, but on each elytron
is a large C-shaped red mark reaching from the base
nearly to the apex. This mark is often divided in
the middle, so as to produce the effect of four red
spots on the back. A narrower line of the same
colour mostly runs along the margin ; but this, like in
many other Beetles, is apt to be exceedingly variable
in the arrangement of its colouring.

This, together with the rest of the genus, can be

G 2

84 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

found in or under decaying animal matter, patches of
cowdung being favourite resorts. The pertinacity
with which these insects will feign death when cap-
tured is most remarkable, for they will endure almost
any amount of rough handling without giving the
least signs of life, the legs being folded flatly under
the body so that they are scarcely visible. Indeed, I
scarcely know whether they or the Pill Beetles, which
will presently be described, are the most obstinate in
this respect.

The larvae of the Mimic Beetles are also to be
found in cowdung, and are not in the least like their
parents, being long-bodied, cylindrical, whitish in
colour, with two forked appendages at the tail. Some
species prefer dead animals, and may be found in the
moles to which reference has already been made.
About fourteen British species of Hister are known ;
and the young entomologist will find that, owing to
variations of colour, he will often be rather perplexed
to determine the exact species of some new capture.

WITH great reluctance I am obliged to omit
several genera, and must proceed at once to the next
family, the Nitidulidae. The Beetles of this family
have short clubbed antennae. The head is sunk in
the thorax as far as the eyes, and the mandibles are
notched at the tip ; the thorax is rather square, and
the tarsi have five joints. The body is flattened.
The little Beetles which are found in such numbers in
flowers, and have such shining bodies, mostly belong
to this family, to which the name of Nitidulidce has
been given on account of their glittering bodies.

FLOWER BEETLES.

The typical sub-family, the Nitidulina, are known
by the length of the elytra, which reach to the last
joint of the abdomen, and the shape of the thorax,
which does not cover the base of the elytra. One of
these insects, Omosita discoidea, is a very plentiful
species, and may be found in fungi, under the bark of
trees, and even in old bones.

The body of this Beetle is oval, and, as may be
inferred from its name, is much flattened. Its colour
is rusty-brown, and the surface is thickly punctured.
Upon the elytra are some faint oblong black streaks,
and a curved mark of paler hue than the rest of the
body.

In the accompanying woodcut is shown another
of these Beetles, Meligethes ceneus. This genus is
known by the squared and
highly-polished metallic body,
the long elytra, and the third
joint of the antennae, which is
exactly as long as the fourth
and fifth together. All the
Beetles of this genus are very
small, and are invariably to
be found in flowers, creeping
from their hiding places under
the petals when the flower is
gathered or shaken. Being
very minute insects, a careful examination with a
somewhat powerful lens is needed to distinguish the
species, and, even then, the little creatures are so
like each other in size and colour, that the ento-
mologist is obliged to abandon the usual mode of

Meligethes aeneus.

86 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

determining species, and to trust to the number of
notches in the tibiae of the first pair of legs.

This species is variable in colour, being blue-
black, violet, or dark green-blue, over which is a
sort of brassy gloss. It seldom exceeds the twelfth
of an inch in length, and is a very good ex-
ample of its genus. It is plentiful throughout Eng-
land.

STILL keeping to the same family, we take another
of the sub-families, the Ipsina, which have the front of
the head lengthened and covering the labrum, the
fourth joint of the tarsus being very minute. Our
first example of these insects is RhizopJiagus Jerru-
gineuS) a fairly plentiful species. These Beetles have
much narrower bodies than the preceding, the antennae
are short and boldly clubbed, with a large basal joint.
The head is not sunk in the thorax, and the elytra
are not so long as the abdomen. They are mostly to
be found under the bark of trees, but some are fond
of inhabiting old bones, and are even parasitic in ants'
nests. The name Rhizophagus signifies
' root-eating,' and there are about ten
British species. Though they are for
the most part vegetable-feeders, some
at least of the species are known to be
carnivorous, and have been detected in
eating the larvae of other bark-feeding
Beetles belonging to the genus Hyle-

Rhuophagus
ferrugineus. sinUS.

The colour of this species is smooth shining rust-
red, sometimes deepening into reddish-black. There

MUSEUM BEETLES. 87

is a pit on either side of the head, the elytra are
thickly punctured and striated, and beneath it is rust-
red. This Beetle has been chosen because it is the
largest of the genus, sometimes exceeding one-sixth
of an inch in length.

THE family of the Cryptophagidae will be repre-
sented by one example.

One example of this family is CryptopJiagus pilosus,
which is shown in the accompanying illustration.
The genus is known by the shape of the
margins of the thorax, which are more
or less toothed. The present species is
oblong, and its colour rust-red, the
surface of the body being sparingly
covered with very fine down. The
thorax is thickly punctured, especially
on the disc. In this Beetle the marginal
toothing of the thorax is not so con- Cryptophagus
spicuous as in most of the species, and piiosus.
is rather undulated than toothed. It is to be found
in and about fungi. There are about twenty-three
species of this genus.

PASSING by a number of insects, we come to the
family of the Dermestidae or Museum Beetles, a very
interesting one to the entomologist, although he can
but hold its members in bitterest hatred. The word
Dermestes is of Greek origin, and signifies ' skin-eater.'
The name is but too appropriate, as all possessors of
zoological collections know to their cost. It is the
Dermestes which forces taxidermists to use the

£S COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

dangerous arsenical soap in their preparations, and it
has been the means of depriving many a hard-work-
ing man of his best teeth, the arsenic loosening them
so that they fall out almost at a touch. Full many a
valuable museum has been utterly ruined by these
destructive Beetles, which, even when the skin is
poisoned with arsenical soap, will attack the hair or
the feathers, and strip the creature as bare as if it had
been shaved.

This family is distinguished by their short, straight,
and doubled antennae, their small and retractile head,
the five-jointed tarsi, and the length of the elytra,
which cover the abdomen. The palpi are thread-like
and shorter than the maxillae, and the first joint of
the tarsus is shorter than the second. For illustration
of this genus I have selected the well-known BACON
BEETLE (Dermestes lardarius).

This is really a pretty, though not gaily coloured,
Beetle, its body being black and its elytra having a
very broad greyish band across the base, on which are
three black or pitchy spots. On examination with
a lens, the band is seen to be composed of a short but
thick grey down, the black spots being simply places
on which the down does not grow, so that the black
of the elytra is rendered visible.

This Beetle may be found plentifully in the
' keepers' trees ' which have already been mentioned ;
and even after the animals have been so dried by
exposure that their skins are as hard as horn, the
Dermestes will attack them, its sharp teeth enabling
it to overcome the hardened skin. The chief havoc

PILL BEETLES. 89

caused by this Beetle is due to the larva. Its colour
is whitish-brown above and white below, and it is
profusely covered with long hairs. The cast skins of
these larvae may be seen abundantly when the Beetle
has taken possession of any place, and by them the
museum owner is often warned of the danger which
has come on his collection. The reader will see that,
like many other destructive insects, it is most valuable
in its right place, and does good service by removing
from sight objects which are not only unpleasant to
the eye and nostril but injurious to the health. In
these places it should be protected and encouraged ;
but when it makes its way into a house, extermina-
tion is the only course to be used.

WE now come to the Byrrhidae, or Pill Beetles, so
called from their rounded shape, and the manner in
which they can hide their limbs and antennae when
alarmed. There is no difficulty in distinguishing
Beetles belonging to this family. The antennae are
gradually thickened towards the extremity, and the
head is very small and deeply sunk in the thorax,
with which it can be completely retracted in most of
the species.

The machinery by which the legs are packed up
is extraordinary, and this alone would serve to
indicate the family. On the tibiae there is a groove
in which the tarsi are received when doubled, the
tibiae fold closely to the femora, and the whole leg,
thus reduced into a very small compass, is received
into a groove under the body. In fact, the legs are

90 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

packed up very much like the joints of a portable
easel. The head being at the same time withdrawn
into the thorax, the antennae lie pressed closely against
its sides, so that when the Beetle has thus packed
away all its limbs, it does not bear the least resem-
blance to an insect. This mode of concealment, or
rather of evasion, is rendered more perfect by the
fact, that the surface of the body is covered with fine
down, which retains the dust of the roads on which
it so often travels, and gives to the Beetle the aspect
of a little round dusty stone. And, so pertinaciously
does it keep this attitude when alarmed, that it will
suffer its limbs to be torn from its body rather than
give the least sign of life.

The typical genus has the antennae rather flattened,
and shorter than the thorax, the basal joint being
large, the second small and globular, and the third
long and slender. The club is formed by a series ot
joints regularly increasing in size, the last joint being
egg-shaped. The thorax is waved
behind, and the body is very con-
vex.

The species which has been
chosen for illustration is the
BANDED PILL BEETLE (Byrrhus
fasciatus\ a figure of which ac-
companies this description. The

Byrrhus fasciatus.

colour of this Beetle is black, the
thorax having a decided golden tinge. Upon the
elytra are a number of very short black stripes, and in
the middle is a reddish-yellow band, shaped as is seen
in the figure. This is a tolerably plentiful species,.

BLACK WATER BEETLE. 91

though it is not so often found as the COMMON PILL
BEETLE (Byrrhus pilula}, which is without the yellow
band across the elytra. Five species of this genus
inhabit England.

Now we come to a very familiar but little understood
insect, popularly called the BLACK WATER BEETLE.
Like some of the preceding species, it has been con-
founded with the Hydradephaga, merely because it
inhabits the water, no reference being made to its
structure, or even its mode of feeding. Indeed, I
believe that scarcely any, except entomologists, have
the least idea that the Dyticus and the present Beetle
are not the same insect, the only difference being that
one is much larger than the other. Now, if we
examine this Beetle, Hydrous piceus, we shall find a
vast number of structural differences, as well as com-
plete divergence in habits.

The Beetle belongs to the family of Hydro-
philidae, i.e. water-lovers. Sometimes the two halves
of the word are transposed, the Beetles being called
Philhydrida, the signification being exactly the same
in both cases. The family may be known by the size
of the palpi, which are as long as the antennae and
sometimes longer — the latter organs never having
more than nine joints, and sometimes only six — and by
the double lobe of the maxilla and the very short
mandibles. The tarsi have five joints. The typical
genus has the mandibles armed on the inside with
three strong teeth, notched at their tips ; the second
joint of the maxillary palpi is very long, and the elytra
become narrower towards the apex.

92

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

The insect is herewith represented of its natural
size, showing that, with the exception of the Stag

Beetle, it is our largest
coleopterous insect. A
glance at the figure will
'.show one of the principal
peculiarities of this Beetle,
namely, that the palpi far
exceed in length the an-
tennae, and project in front
considerably before those
organs. The sexes are
easily distinguished by a
glance at the antennae, and
the tarsi of the first pair of
legs. The metasternum
terminates in a sharp spine,
so long that its point reaches
beyond the coxae of the last pair of legs.

The colour of this Beetle is smooth blackish-olive,
the margins of the elytra taking a bluish tinge. The
wings themselves are very large, and have a very fine
effect when spread. On each of the elytra are eight
striae, and the breast is clothed with thick yellow
down. The metasternum is developed, as in the
Dyticus, into a pointed process, but in this insect the
weapon is simply needle-shaped, and is about the
size of an ordinary darning-needle. It is black,
highly polished, and very sharp. There is much
variation in tint in different individuals, but the
average hues are as given above.

The life history of this insect is a very curious

Hydrous piceus, male.

COCOON-MAKING. 93

one. The female Beetle is furnished with a complete
silk-spinning apparatus, the spinnerets being placed,
not in the mouth, as is the case with the silkworm,
but at the end of the tail. With these instruments
she forms a cocoon shaped almost exactly like a
turnip, being round, and having a pointed projection
from one side. Within this cocoon, which soon
becomes hard and water-tight, and is fastened to the
stem of a water-plant, the eggs are placed ; and in a
time varying from a fortnight to six weeks, according
to the warmth of the weather, the larvae are hatched.
About fifty or sixty eggs are placed in one cocoon,
and by this extraordinary provision they are pre-
served from harm until the larvae are able to escape
into the water and shift for themselves. They are
very small at first, but rapidly increase in size until
they attain the length of three inches.

The larva is soft, fat, and dusky in colour, and
feeds voraciously on molluscs and other aquatic
animals, as might be inferred from the large and
curved jaws. It is one of the air-breathing larvae,
and is therefore obliged to come frequently to the
surface in order to take in a supply of air, which is
done by means of a filamentous appendage at the
end of the tail. Somewhere about July the larva has
completed feeding ; and then leaves the water and
crawls up the bank, searching for a soft spot in which
to burrow. Here it sinks its tunnel, and forms an
oval cocoon, in which it awaits its change into the
pupal state.

The Beetles belonging to this group, being, like
the larvae, air-breathers, are forced to come to the

94 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

surface for the purpose of respiration ; and they con-
trive to carry down a supply of atmospheric air by
enclosing a bubble under the bodies, where it looks
like a globe of quicksilver as they swim about. As
this species is not only handsome but harmless, it is
in great favour with the keepers of aquariums, and is
in consequence quite scarce in many places where it
used to be plentiful, the professional dealers having
ransacked all the streams within easy reach of
London.

THE family next in order, the Sphaeridiidae, or
GLOBE BEETLES, are distinguished from the preceding
family by the shape of the tarsi, which are not fitted
for swimming, and the hinder pairs of which members
have the first joint much longer than the others. They
are all small insects, rather globular in form, from
which peculiarity the name of the family is derived ;
and they are dark-coloured, black being the usual hue,
relieved in some species by reddish spots. In the
genus Cercyon, from which our example is taken, the
club of the antennae is large and bold, the palpi are
slender, and the mentum is broad
and flat.

As is the case with most red and
black Beetles, the colour is exceed-
ingly variable in different indivi-
duals, so different indeed, that the
present species, Cercyon anale, a
figure of which is herewith given,
Cercyon anaie. has been described under four
separate names, each name being used to represent

GLOBE BEETLES. 95

a different species. Its colour is black, but the elytra
are generally tinted towards the apex with reddish-
chestnut, the size and exact tint of this mark varying
exceedingly ; and in some specimens the elytra are
altogether black. Like the rest of the genus, it can
be found in cowdung.

Formerly some sixty species of Cercyon were
catalogued, but they have now been reduced to seven-
teen genuine species ; two-thirds of the imagined
species proving, on careful investigation, to be nothing
but varieties. In one case, that of Cercyon nigriceps,
the same insect had been described under seven
different names by the same naturalist.

96

CHAPTER VII.

LAMELLICORNES.

THIS chapter will be given to that very important
group of insects, the LAMELLICORN Beetles, popularly
called CHAFERS. The former term is composed of
two Latin words signifying ' leaf-horned,' and is
applied to these Beetles because the club of the
antennse is composed of a series of flat plates or
leaves, which are movable like the rays of a fan,
except in the Stag Beetle and its kin. The antennae
are always short, with a long or large basal joint, and
set near the eyes and in front of them. If the reader
should have skill to open an insect, he is strongly
recommended to do so, in order to see the singular
manner in which the large and apparently heavy
bodies of these insects are lightened by a great
number of air-vessels connected with the breathing
tubes. These air-vessels extend all over the body,
and are found even in the head.

The larvae are fat, fleshy, soft-skinned grubs, feed-
ing on vegetable matter, mostly, though not always,
in a state of decay ; and the last segment of the body
is much larger than the others. After they are full-
fed, they make cocoons from the chips of wood or

ROSE BEETLES. 97

other fragments of the material on which they have
been feeding ; and therein await their change into the
pupal and perfect forms.

THE first family of the Lamellicornes is the
Cetoniidae, or Rose Beetle family. We have but few
examples of these beautiful insects
in England, and one or two of
them are very rare. In this
family the antennae are short, and
have only ten joints, three of
them forming the club. The
body is broad, and the elytra are
flattened and not quite long
enough to reach the end of the
abdomen. A very familiar
example of this family is the common ROSE BEETLE
(Cetonia auratd].

This is a truly handsome insect. The upper
surface of the body is beautiful shining-green, glossed
with gold. The elytra have a number of impressed
dots and curved marks scattered irregularly over them,
and towards the apex are a number of scattered
whitish marks, very variable in size, hue, number, and
shape, according to the individual insect. Belo\v, it is
bright polished-copper.

The perfect Beetles are generally to be found in
roses, especially the white and wild roses, which they
are thought to damage in some degree. The larva,
however, does not content itself with such light diet
as rose-leaves, but lives on the less poetical but more

H

98 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

substantial nourishment afforded by decaying wood,
in which it remains for three years.

Sometimes, on opening a wood ant's nest, one of
these larvae is found in it, a circumstance which has
gained for it the name of King of the Ants. It most
probably takes advantage of the large quantity of
wood-chips, bits of straw, fir-leaves, and similar
material, with which the ants make their nest ; and
finds therein an abundant supply of food. The ants
do not meddle with it, probably finding that it remains
in one spot, and does not interfere with the conduct
of their nest.

After it has remained in the larval state for the
full period, it makes for itself a cocoon from the wood-
chips or other materials on which it has been feeding ;
and it sometimes happens that when a decayed tree-
trunk is suddenly blown or cut down, a great quantity
of these cocoons roll out from among the ruins. Even
when the larva has taken up its abode in an ants'
nest, it makes a cocoon from the surrounding
materials.

NEXT we come to the small though important
family of the Melolonthidae, which includes those
insects which are popularly called Cockchafers. Only
five species of this family inhabit England, and of
these only two are even tolerably common. These
two, however, more than compensate by their enor-
mous numbers for the paucity of the other species ;
and in some seasons are so exceedingly plentiful that
they become an absolute pest to the agriculturist,
laying waste thousands of trees, and destroying acre
upon acre of pasture land.

COCKCHAFER.

99

Only too familiar to many of us is the common
COCKCHAFER (Melolontha vulgaris}. The insect is so
well known that a detailed description is scarcely
necessary. The peculiar bent projection at the end
of the abdomen is worthy of notice, as are the rows of
triangular white spots along its sides. There is a
greyish down on the breast, and the elytra are covered
with a yellowish down. Unless the insect have quite
newly emerged from the pupal state and been handled
very carefully, the down is sure to be rubbed off, and
the beauty of the specimen greatly impaired ; so that
a really perfect specimen even of so common a Beetle
is worth preserving.

The life history of this insect demands a brief
notice. The female deposits her eggs in the ground ,
where in due time they
are hatched, and straight-
way begin to feed upon
the roots of grass, which
form the chief part of
their diet. They remain
in the ground for three
years, continually de-
stroying grass roots, and
increasing to a wonder-
ful size ; so large and
fat, indeed, that their
tightened skin seems
scarcely able to hold its
contents. The quantity of roots consumed by one of
these insects is very great ; and in some places they
have so completely destroyed the grass, that the turf

Melolontha vulgaris, larva (thre
parts grown).

ioo COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

has been completely detached from the ground, and
might be rolled up by hand as easily as if the turf-
cutter's spade had passed under it. These mischievous
grubs do not confine themselves to grass-roots, but
eat many of the underground crops, the potato often
suffering terribly from them.

When full-fed, the grub makes for itself a cocoon
in the earth, and then emerges, only to work as much
destruction above the soil as it did below. In the
larval state it fed upon the roots of grasses, and was
out of sight ; it now feeds on the leaves of trees, and
is out of reach. In this way the Beetles are scarcely
less mischievous than they were in their former state,
for they will sometimes denude whole tracts of trees,
so that, in the full beauty of summer-tide, the trees
look as if the season were the depth of winter. In
this country we are almost ignorant of the harm
which the Cockchafer can do, for, although our crops
and potatoes often suffer severely from its attacks,
they are not wholly ruined, as is the case on the
Continent.

THE family of the Geotrupidae has eleven joints
in the antenna, of which three form the club, and the
margin of the head divides the eyes somewhat like
the structure of the Gyrini, except that, in the case of
those insects, the eyes are divided by a broad, flat
band, and in the present family by a narrow ridge of
horny substance. The body is very convex and the
thorax large, in order to give room for the muscles
that move the large wings and the powerful digging
fore-legs.

DOR BEETLES. 101

One of the commonest English species, Geotrupes
stercorariuS) popularly known as the CLOCK, the DOR
BEETLE, the FLYING WATCHMAN, the DUMBLE-DOR,
and similar names, according to the locality in which
it lives.

The colour of this species is black above, some-
times glossed with green or blue, and rich shining-
violet beneath. On the middle of the clypeus there
is a sharp tubercle. The thorax is smooth, except at
the margins, which are thickly punctured, and on each
side there is a nearly circular impression, thickly
punctured in the interior. The middle of the scu-
tellum is punctured, and the elytra are striated, the
spaces between the striae being smooth. The sexes
may be distinguished by means of the tibiae of the
first pair of legs and the femora of the hind pair, the
male having on the inner side of the front tibia a
single erect spine, and the inner edge of the hind
femora strongly toothed. As this insect is liable .to
much variation in colour, it is necessary to call atten-
tion to these minute points of structure by which the
species can be definitely ascertained.

The life history of this Beetle may be briefly told
as follows : —

In the autumn evenings the Beetles may be seen
flying about in large circles, as if they were predacious
insects quartering the ground in search of prey. In
one sense, this is exactly what they are doing, as they
are hunting after a favourable spot wherein to place
their eggs, and are wheeling over the ground in hopes
to find one. Attracted probably by the scent, the
Beetle discovers a patch of cowdung, alights near it,

102 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

crawls upon it, and straightway burrows through the
soft material, and is lost to sight. When she — for it is
the female who does the work — reaches the earth,
she does not cease to burrow, but goes on with her
labour until she has excavated a perpendicular tunnel
some twelve inches in depth, and carried a quantity
of the cowdung into it. In this substance she de-
posits an egg, crawls out of the burrow, and proceeds
to make another, and so goes on until she has laid all
her eggs.

The egg remains in its concealment until it is
hatched, and then the larva consumes the food which
its mother has taken the trouble to bring down for it.
After this is eaten, the grub is strong enough to
ascend the burrow and obtain as much food as it
wants at the entrance. Within this retreat the larva
passes through its transformations, and then ascends
to the outer air, ready to take its part in the work of
preparing nurseries for a future progeny. Seven
species of Geotrupes are known in England. Twice
as many species have been described, but recent
investigations have showTn that exactly half the
supposed species were simple varieties.

In the accompanying woodcut is represented a
Beetle of a very odd appearance, the sides of the
thorax being prolonged into a pair of very formidable
horns, a shorter horn occupying the centre of the
anterior margin. This is the male Geotrupes typlioeus,
a near relative of the preceding insect. The female
has only the veriest rudiments of horns, the anterior
angles of the thorax being merely developed into a

THE TYPHCEUS. 103

short, sharp prominence, like the teeth of a saw,
while the place of the central horn is taken by a
ridge running across the fore-
head. Indeed, owing to the
absence of these horns, the
female is so unlike the other
sex, that no one who was
ignorant of entomology would
be likely to believe the two
creatures to be nothing more
than different sexes of the
same insect.

The name of Typhceus Typhous

was given to this insect in the days when classical
mythology was the source of new names for insects,
and to this species the name of Typhceus was given
on account of its menacing aspect, which was fanci-
fully compared to the giant Typhceus, who frightened
Zeus and the other gods out of heaven merely by
his looks. As, however, was the case with its ancient
prototype, the Typhceus is not nearly so terrible as
it seems, and its array of horns cannot do the least
injury to the hands of its capturer.

There is no possibility of mistaking this insect,
which, in addition to the characteristics that have
been already described, has the first and last joints of
the tarsus of equal length, and longer than the others.
The colour of the insect is shining-black, the elytra
being regularly but not very deeply striated. There
is, however, considerable variation in this insect, as
even in some males the horns are comparatively small,
and little better developed than those of the female.

104 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

Considering that the Typhoeus is a very common
insect, it is surprisingly little known, and I have often
found that entomologists who restricted themselves
to the Lepidoptera alone have been totally ignorant
of its existence, and expressed much surprise when I
showed them a fine male Typhoeus. This insect is
in one sense an extremely interesting one, inasmuch
as it is one of our few British examples of the strange
and almost grotesque forms assumed by male
Lamellicornes, but which are seldom seen except in
exotic Beetles.

This insect may be found in all parts of England,
being generally plentiful enough. The end of May
and beginning of August are the times when it is in
best condition, and at the latter season it may often
be seen lying dead in roads or pathways. Like the
Dor Beetle, it is a burrower, and has been taken while
making its tunnel in sand.

THERE is a large family of small Beetles which
must not be passed over without a brief notice. This
is known by the name of Aphodiidae, a name formed
from two Greek words which refer to the habits of
the different species, which are always to be found in
cowdung. They are rather oblong and cylindrical in
shape, and the elytra cover nearly the whole of the
body. Many species are among the commonest of
our British insects, and they must be sought in their
accustomed haunts if the beetle-hunter wishes to
obtain a good series of specimens. A stick will
generally suffice to eject them from their hiding-
places, but the * digger ' which has been already

STAG BEETLE. 105

described is a more effective instrument, as the
insects can be dug out of their shelter beneath the
surface of the earth. Forty species of Aphodius are
known to entomologists.

THE family of the Lucanidat is represented in
England by three genera, but by very few species,
only one British species belonging to each genus.
This family may at once be known by the club of the
antennae, which, though formed of a series of plates,
is unlike that of the other Lamellicornes, in that the
plates cannot be folded together, and are arranged so
as to look as if the club were simply pectinated.

In the males the mandibles are enormously
developed, and, in consequence of these distinctions,
many entomologists have thought that the Lucanidae
ought not to belong to the Lamellicornes, but to be
formed into a group by themselves. The name of
Pectinicornes, or 'combed antennae,' has been suggesteH
as an appropriate title. As to this proposed altera-
tion, Mr. Rye very judiciously remarks, that such a
change ought not to be made until all the known
Lamellicornes have been dissected, and their nervous
system examined.

The genus Lucanus is distinguished by the
flattened body, the apparently pectinated four-jointed
club of the antennae, and the enormous jaws of the
male, which are often half as long as the head,
thorax, and body together. Our only British species
is the well-known STAG BEETLE (Lncanus cennis},
which derives its popular name from the jaws of the
male, which look somewhat like the horns of a stag.

106 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

In some parts of the country it goes by the name of
HORN-BUG.

This is the largest of the British Beetles, as it
sometimes attains a length of nearly three inches.
The size, however, is extremely variable, as some
males are barely half that length, and have their jaws
comparatively small and weak. These are generally
called undeveloped males, their inferiority being pro-
bably due to a want of food while in the larval state.
Lest, however, a small and degenerate race of Stag
Beetles should be perpetuated, the males always fight
for possession of the females, and the consequence is,
that none but the largest and strongest individuals
have a chance of obtaining a mate.

The head and thorax of the Stag Beetle are
black, profusely punctured. The elytra are deep-
chestnut, becoming black on the margins, and at
first sight appear to be quite smooth, but are, in
reality, covered with the finest imaginable punctures.
The jaws are of the same colour as the elytra, and
the legs are black. The female is shaped like the
male, with the exception of the jaws, which are small,
curved, and sharply pointed. The head, too, is
smaller than that of the male, because the muscles
attached to the jaws are comparatively small.

This Beetle is in some parts of England very
common, and in others not only rare, but absolutely
wanting. I hunted insects industriously at Oxford for
a series of years, and not only never saw a living Stag
Beetle within many miles of that city, and believe
that a specimen had never been taken in that locality.
There is no apparent reason why it should find that

JAWS OF THE STAG BEETLE. 107

Oxford does not suit it, for the same trees flourish
there as they do in Kent, where it is one of the
commonest of the Beetle tribe, and the same water
that flows past Oxford rolls through the Thames
valley of Kent. Whatever may be the reason, the
fact exists ; and I well remember my gratification
and astonishment when I first saw the Stag Beetles
flying about nearly as plentifully as Cockchafers or
Dor Beetles.

The larva of this insect somewhat resembles that
of the Rose Beetle, and lives in rotten wood.

The oak supplies its favourite food, but it also
lives in the willow ; and, according to some entomo-
logists, the willow-fed specimens are smaller than
those which live in the oak. These larvae often do
very great harm, their powerful jaws enabling them
to eat into the living as well as the dead wood, and
into the roots themselves. It remains in the larval
state for at least four, and perhaps as much as six years,
and when it is about to become a pupa, makes for
itself a cocoon out of the wood-chips with which it is
surrounded.

The jaws of the male are quite as formidable
weapons as they appear to be, the muscles which
close them being very powerful, and their sharp and
strong teeth inflicting a severe bite. Mr. Curtis
mentions that the jaws retain the power of biting
long after the head has been separated from the body,
and that in one case when a severed head of a Stag
Beetle was taken home in the evening, it retained
on the following morning sufficient power to pinch
the finger. Still, severe as is the bite of the male

loS COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

Stag Beetle, that of the other sex is still more severe,
the points of the strong, sharp, curved jaws being
made to meet in the flesh.

At first sight it would appear that the insect must
be a carnivorous one, and that such formidable
weapons were used for the purpose of capturing and
destroying other insects. In reality the Stag Beetle
is essentially a feeder on juices, which it obtains by
wounding twigs and fruits with the sharp teeth of its
mandibles. If kept in captivity, it will feed on
moistened sugar, and has a curious way of flattening
itself on the ground, in order to reach the sugar with
its tongue. Indeed, it only uses its jaws as weapons of
offence, when it fights for the possession of the female,
or when it is captured and wishes to escape. It will
bite fiercely in such a case, and, if kept alive, will
resent with open jaws any attempt to disturb it.

109

CHAPTER VIII.

STERNOXI.

THE group that now comes before us is a very boldly
marked one, and is known by the title of Sternoxi, or
' sharp-breasted/ because the prosternum, or under
side of the thorax, is prolonged backwards with a sort
of spike, which fits into a cavity between the middle
pair of legs. This projection is technically named
the ' mucro/ or dagger. The body is long, rather
cylindrical, but slightly flattened, and the antennae
are mostly serrated, but sometimes pectinated, and in
a few instances nearly plain and thread-like. There
are other distinctions, but these are so bold and
evident that they will be quite sufficient for the
reader's purpose.

Most of these insects possess the curious power of
leaping, which has earned for them the popular title
of SKIPJACK BEETLES. Their legs are very short, so
that if the Beetle should by any chance fall on its
back on a flat surface, it would have no power of
recovering itself, but for the curious piece of mechanism
of which the 'mucro' forms a portion. Whenever the
Beetle falls on its back, and cannot recover itself, it
lies still for a few moments, and then begins to arch

i io

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

its body, so that it rests only upon the end of the
abdomen and the back of the head, the thorax being-
well elevated. By this movement, the mucro is drawn
out of the groove into which it fits. Suddenly, the
insect reverses its position and springs the elastic
mucro into its place, thus driving the base of the
elytra against the ground, and causing itself to fly up
into the air.

The spring is always accompanied with a slight
but sharp clicking sound, from which these insects
have derived the name of CLICK BEETLES. There is
an absolute necessity for this curious provision of
nature. The Click Beetles are all feeble, slow, and
defenceless, and their only way of escaping from an
enemy is by loosening their hold of the herbage on
which they are crawling, and allowing themselves to
drop to the ground. The sweep-net is very useful in
catching these Beetles, as it antici-
pates the movement, and captures
them as they fall.

WE will now proceed to de-
scribe one or two typical examples
of this group.

Of the typical genus our ex-
ample is Elater sanguineus, a figure
of which is here given. In this

^^^ ^ antennge are long, and

inserted just in front of the eyes, which are large
and round. The two hinder angles of the thorax
are produced into spines pointing backwards, and the
mucro is able to move freely in the cavity into which

Elater san guineas.

WIRE \VORMS. in

it fits, in consequence of the distance between the base
of the elytra and the thorax. In this genus the tarsi
are bristly, the joints becoming gradually smaller, the
body is flattened, and the sides of the thorax are not
widened. The name Elater is Greek, and signifies
a ' striker ' or * hurler,' the name being given to the
insect in consequence of its power of hurling itself
into the air.

The ground colour of the present species is black,
but it is covered with brown-black or red-brown down,
the thorax being rather convex, punctured, and
having a short and shallow furrow behind. The
elytra are of a more decided hue, being blood-red
(whence the specific name, sangnineus\ and are striated
and punctured. It is not a very common insect, but
may be found in woods. I have taken it in a copse
on the Wiltshire downs.

The larvae of the Skipjack Beetles are popularly
known as Wire-worms, a title which has been applied
to them for two reasons — first, because they are long
and narrow, seeming to be drawn out, as it were, like
wire ; and, secondly, because they are tough and hard-
skinned, so that a roller passing over them does them
no manner of harm, but only squeezes them into the
soil, as if they were so many pieces of wire.

Some of these larvae commit terrible ravages
among the crops, feeding upon the roots, and so
remaining themselves hidden while their ravenous
jaws are destroying the very life of the plants. There
are few things which irritate an agriculturist more
than such a foe as this. He makes up his mind to
the caterpillar, the turnip-fly, the snail, and other

H2 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

creatures which devour the plant itself. They at least
can be seen while eating, however closely they may
conceal themselves at other times, and the amount of
food which they take is proportionate to the mischief
which they do. But the Wire-worm wastes and eats
in concealment, and, while it only eats one-tenth the
amount of that consumed by a caterpillar of equal
size, destroys ten times the number of plants. Various
projects have been set on foot for extirpating the
Wire-worm, but I hear of no plan that has succeeded
except that provided by Nature, namely, the fondness
of certain birds for the Wire-worm. Mr. Westwood
mentions that even pheasants are useful to the farmer
in this respect, their crops having been found stuffed
with Wire-worms. There are very few plants or
flowers which this voracious insect will not attack, and
the gardener as well as the farmer is therefore inte-
rested in the Skipjack Beetles and their progeny.

The mole is a great eater of Wire-worms, as it
finds them near the surface, and can take them while
making the superficial burrows which it often exca-
vates within an inch or two of the surface of the
ground. It is stated that this destructive larva
remains five years in the ground before assuming the
pupal stage, so that we ought to encourage as far as
possible every creature which assists in keeping down
its numbers.

Our last example of these insects is that which is
represented on the next page, and is known by the
name of Campy lus linearis.

As the reader may see by reference to the figure,
this insect is very unlike any of the Beetles of this

A VARIABLE INSECT. 113

group which have been already described. The head

projects boldly from the thorax, and the eyes are very

large. The hinder angles of the

thorax are rather elevated, sharp,

and bent outwardly. The body is

long and slender, a fact which has

gained for the insect the specific

title of linearis. The generic title

Campylus is of Greek origin, the

word signifying a peculiar staff;

and the name has been chosen on

account of the slender, stick-like

form of the insect.

This is an extremely variable species in point of
colour, the female being very remarkable in this
respect. Red, however, is the leading colour, and the
average hues of the insect may be described as
follows : — The head is black and deeply punctured,
and the thorax has a deep furrow along the centre,
and a transverse pit or ' impression ' a little behind
the middle. Its colour is brick-red, and in many
specimens there is a black spot on the centre, while
in others the same part is brown. The elytra
are rather more convex in the female than in the
opposite sex, and are covered with striae and punc-
tures. Their colour is somewhat the same as that
of the thorax, but rather paler, though in many
examples, especially among the females, the
whole elytra are yellowish brown, except the
margin, which retains the ordinary brick-red
colour.

I

ii4 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

The insect is a plentiful one, especially in certain
years. It is best taken by means of the sweep-net,
which should be used along the sides of hedges, in
copses, and similar localities. It is the only British
example of its genus.

CHAPTER IX.

MALACODERMI.

IN this group of Beetles are gathered together a
number of Beetles differing much from each other
in many points, but agreeing in the one characteristic
which has gained for them the name of MALACO-
DERMI, or Soft-skinned Beetles. In these insects the
exterior of the body, instead of being quite hard and
strong, as is the case with those Beetles which we
have examined, is soft and flexible, and generally
covered with a very short and delicate down.

We begin our notice of these Beetles with the family
of the Lampyridae, of which only one species in-
habits England, namely, the well-known GLOW-WORM
(Lampyris noctilucd). In this family, the female pos-
sesses neither wings nor elytra, the head is concealed
under the large and rounded prothorax, and both
sexes have the power of emitting a phosphorescent
light, the lamp of the female being very much brighter
than that of her mate.

This, almost our sole representative of the exotic
light-giving insects, is fortunately very plentiful in
this country, and may be seen abundantly in sheltered

ii6 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

spots, preferring those which are slightly damp. It
is very abundant in Kent, and in the summer even-
ings the green-blue lamp of the Glow-worm may be
seen shining amid the leaves. If examined in the dark
the light is seen to proceed from the three last seg-
ments of the body, the under side of which emits the
light in a wavering, uncertain sort of way, the fact of
being handled seeming to alarm the insect and cause
it to retain the light-giving power. Sometimes, in-
deed, it puts out its lamp altogether when handled,
the light being evidently under the control of the insect.
It is said, however, that if a Glow-worm be placed in
oxygen gas the light is greatly intensified, and the
Beetle seems unable or unwilling to retain it. Gilbert
White, in his ' Selborne,' remarks that the Glow-
worms put out their lamps between eleven and twelve
P.M., and shine no more for the rest of the night.

The dissimilarity between the sexes of the Glow-
worm is very strongly marked, the female being
entirely wingless, while the
male has large wings and
elytra which cover the whole
of the body. It is popularly
thought that the male does not

Lampyris noctilus (male and POSSeSS the Hght-giving pOWCF J

female). fout j-^jg js a mistake, as every

practical entomologist must know. Still, though the
male does possess a lamp, it is very much smaller and
feebler than that of the female, and, instead of a mass of
phosphorescence, throwing a radiance of some inches
in extent, it is nothing more than two tiny spots of
light, no larger than minnikin pin's heads. I once

THE GLOW-WORM. 117

took a male Glow-worm on the wing with his lamps
lighted.

As to the object of the light, it is a matter of very
great uncertainty. The obvious solution of the pro-
blem is to say that the light is intended to guide the
male to his mate.

I cannot of course say whether this is the case
or not, but I do not see that this is the sole object of
the light. There are plenty of night-flying insects
which manage to find their mates in the dark without
the use of any such aid, being attracted to them by
scent rather than sight ; and, even if the light emitted
by the female Glow-worm be intended for such a pur-
pose, that of the male cannot be of the slightest use
either to him or to the mate whom he is seeking.

Moreover, not only the perfect insects, but the
pupae, the larvae, and even the eggs are slightly lu-
minous, so that in these cases the light evidently can-
not act as a guide. I am inclined to believe that no
utilitarian theory will account for this singular deve-
lopment of light from a living insect, and that the
phosphorescence was given to it for the same reason
that the butterfly's wing glows with many-coloured
plumage, and the rose is dowered with softly-tinted
petals and sweet perfume.

This insect is doubly interesting to the entomolo-
gist. In the first place, it is a British light-producer :
and in the second, its life in the larval state is a very
valuable one to the agriculturist. It feeds on snails,
attacking and devouring them while still alive, their
shells being no protection to the luckless molluscs.
The structure of this larva is rather remarkable. In

ii8 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

the first place, it bears a singularly close resemblance
to the perfect female insect ; and in the next, it is
furnished with a peculiar apparatus at the end of the
tail, which serves a double purpose, primarily of assist-
ing in locomotion, and secondarily acting as a brush,
by which the slime of the snail can be swept from its
body. In some works on entomology, this organ has
been erroneously drawn like a shaving-brush cut off
square at the end, whereas it consists of some seven
or eight projections from the end of the body, which
can be protruded or withdrawn at will. Almost as soon
as the snails begin to come out from the hiding-places
in which they have lain dormant through the winter,
the Glow-worm larva is ready to attack them, and
thus plays its part in reducing the number of snails
that would have been produced by those which it
kills, and so helps to preserve the balance of Nature.
The generic name of Lampyris is formed from
two Greek words signifying ' shining-tail.'

THE family of the Telephoridae comes next in
order. These insects have long and very soft elytra,
which often do not cover the whole of the abdomen.
The head is not hidden under the thorax, and both
the antennae and the palpi are slender. The various
species are very plentiful, especially on the flowers of
umbelliferous plants, and are popularly known as
Soldiers and Sailors — the red species being called by
the former name, and the blue species by the latter.

One of these Beetles, called TelepJiorus fit sens, is
shown in the accompanying' woodcut. In this genus
the elytra reach to the end of the abdomen, and the

SOLDIER BEETLES. 119

thorax is not notched. Soft-bodied as are these
Beetles, they are among the most quarrelsome of
insects, and fight to the death on the least provoca-
tion. Indeed, it has long been the custom for boys
to catch these Beetles, and set them righting with
each other. There is not the least difficulty in this,
inasmuch as the Beetle is as ready for battle as a
game-cock, and, not content with fighting to the
death, eats its vanquished antagonist after killing it.
The popular idea among boys used to be, that a
soldier and a sailor must be pitted against each other ;
but this is not the case, for these Beetles will fight
and devour each other without the least reference to
species or even to sex, so that a soldier male and female
will fight as fiercely as if they were two males of
different species.

They are not active insects, and though they can
fly well, and use their wings freely, are slow of pro-
gress, and can be taken by hand
while in the air. Like the per-
fect insect, the larva is carni-
vorous, feeding generally upon
earth-worms, but having no
scruple in devouring its own
kind. These larvae may be
found among grass and moss
during the earlier months of
the year, after the severe frosts
have ceased. They pass the Telephone fuscus.
whole of the winter in the larval state, and assume
the pupal condition about April or May, according
to the warmth of the season. Twenty-six species of
Telephorus are indigenous to England.

120 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

THE family of the Cleridae are mostly beautiful
insects, and although they are not large, some of
them rank among our prettiest Beetles. The body is
oblong, hard, and covered with down, and the head
and thorax are not as wide as the elytra. The genus
Clerus is known by several points of structure. The
basal joint of the tarsus is very minute, the last joint
of the labial palpi is hatchet-shaped, and the last
joint of the antennae is large, rounded, and furnished
with a curious projecting point directed inwards.

In their larval state these Beetles are carnivorous
and parasitic on other insects. We can take one ex-
ample of this pretty genus only, named Clerus formi-
carius, which is shown in the accompanying woodcut.
The head of this insect is black, and the thorax brick-
red, the front margin being black. The elytra are
very boldly coloured, their ground hue
being black crossed by two snow-white
bands, shaped as seen in the illustration,
and their base is of the same colour as
the thorax. The larva is found under
the bark of trees, not to eat the wood
or bark, but to destroy and feed upon
the larvae of wood-boring Beetles. Its
colour is dark-pink, spotted in front.

Clerus formicarius. r^-, • r c _/>

I he specific name 01 jonmcartus is
given to this Beetle because it has an ant-like
aspect.

THE, reader will remember that the larva of the
first example of the Cleridae feeds on those of certain
wood-boring Beetles. We now come to one of the

WORM-EATEN FURNITURE. 121

insects which furnishes unwilling nourishment to the
Clerus, which is called Anobium striatnin. This Beetle
belongs to the family of the Ptinidae, a group of small
and very destructive Beetles. They are cylindrical in
shape, covered with very short down, and are able to
draw their heads completely under the overhanging
thorax. Their legs can be packed closely to the body,
and the tarsi have five joints. The genus Anobium, of
which there are eleven British species, has the three
last joints of the antennae rather longer than the
others, and the last joint egg-shaped.

The various species of this genus work terrible
havoc among furniture, in which they produce the
defect that is popularly known by the name of * worm-
eaten.' They are not in the least particular as to
their diet, and will devour almost any kind of food.

For these troublesome little pests I know of but one
remedy, namely, injecting into the holes spirits of
wine in which corrosive sublimate has been dissolved.
This is not so tedious a business as it may seem to
be, as the spirit will often find its way from one hole
to another, so that, if half a dozen holes be judiciously
selected, the poison will penetrate the whole piece of
wood, kill all the insect inhabitants, and render it for
ever impervious to their attack. A New Guinea bow
in my collection was riddled with the burrows of the
Anobium, but was easily cleared of its inmates. Hold-
ing the bow perpendicularly, I injected the spirit into
several holes at the upper end. The effect was magical.
The little Beetles came out of the holes in all direc-
tions, and not one survived the touch of the poisoned
spirit ; many of them, indeed, dying before they could

122 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

force themselves completely out of the holes. They
will also eat skins and any dried animal substance ;
and I have found a neglected box of moths com-
pletely destroyed by these voracious insects.

The present species is rather convex, and blackish-
brown in colour. The thorax is rather narrowed
behind, and on each side of the hinder margin are
two pits. The elytra are boldly striated, each stria
being seen, when examined with the aid of a lens, to
consist of a number of punctures placed in regular
rows. It is a very common species.

The old popular terror respecting the Death
watch is well known, a mysterious ticking being heard
in the dead of night, which was — and is still-
supposed to presage the approaching death of some
one in the house. The ticking of the Death-watch is,
in fact, the call of the Anobium to its mate, and, as
the insect is always found in old wood, it is very evident
why the Death-watch is always heard in old houses.

OUR last example of this group is here represented,
the sketch showing the profile of the insect, whose
name is Mezium sulcatum.
There are three insects very
closely resembling each other,
belonging respectively to the
genera Mezium, Gibbium, and
Niptus, each being the sole
, side view. British representative of its
genus. The two former are almost exactly alike,
but can be distinguished by looking at the thorax
with a lens, the difference being that in Gibbium the

SPIDER BEETLES. 123

thorax is smooth, whereas in Mezium it is covered
with longitudinal furrows, whence the name sulcatum,
or ' furrowed.'

To my mind, these are the oddest-looking Beetles
that we have in England, and, indeed, at first sight
they much more resemble spiders than Beetles.

The Mezium can generally be found in the cup-
boards and other recesses of old houses, and, indeed,
all three Beetles may be captured on the same pre-
mises. A very good trap for them is a deep and
steep-sided basin, with a little moist sugar at the
bottom, and a stick or two laid against the sides by
way of a ladder. The Mezium is very fond of sugar,
climbs up the ladder, lets itself tumble into the sugar,
and then cannot get out again, "not being able to
cling to the polished sides of the basin. It is thought
by many entomologists, that neither of these Beetles
is indigenous, but that all three have been imported
from abroad.

124

CHAPTER X.

HETEROMERA.

THIS is a very important section of the Coleoptera,.
embracing many of our most familiar Beetles, though
in England the number of Heteromerous Beetles is
very small when compared with the list of exotic
insects. The name Heteromera is compounded of
two Greek words, signifying ' unequal-jointed,' and is
applied to these Beetles because they all have five
joints in the tarsi of the first and intermediate pairs
of legs, and only four joints in those of the hinder
pair. As has been mentioned in connection with
other four-jointed tarsi, the full number of five joints
is in reality present, but the basal joint is very long,
and in it is merged the missing joint ; so that the
joint is in reality not absent, but so small as to escape
ordinary observation.

The first family of this section is named Blaptidae,
and its members are known by the ' securiform,' or
hatchet-shaped last joint of the maxillary palpi, and
the long femora of the hind legs. The wings are not
developed, and the elytra are soldered together. In
England we only have one genus of this family, con-
taining three species. That which we will take as

CELLAR BEETLES. 125

our type is the CHURCHYARD BEETLE (Blaps mor-
tisaga\ which is represented below. All the species
belonging to this genus are— to use a word which I
do not like to apply to insects — ugly. They are dull,
dead-black in colour, are wonderfully sluggish,
crawling slowly as if afflicted with rheumatism, and
always frequenting damp, dark, and dismal places.
Being often found in the murkiest crannies of cellars,
they have gained the popular and appropriate title of
CELLAR BEETLES.

The species represented in the illustration may
be recognised by the bold puncturing and contracted
base of the thorax, and the
lengthened projection at the apex
of the elytra. It is not so generally
plentiful as the second species,
Blaps mucronata, being seldom
found in the southern parts of
England. Still these species are
very similar in their habits. They
are possessed of a very nauseous

, . r i 11- Blaps mortisaga.

odour, suggestive of dwelling
among the graves. Yet, unpleasant as these Beetles
may be, we are informed that an Egyptian species,
Blaps sulcata, is employed as a remedy for ear-ache,
and a cure for the sting of the scorpion ; while the
women are in the habit of seeking and eating it, in
order to produce the fatness which is thought in the
East to be an essential point in female beauty.

THE family of the Tenebrionidae only contains
one genus, and that genus but two British species.

126 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

These Beetles possess large wings, and are capable of
flight, the elytra not being soldered together as is the
case with the Blaptidae. The thorax is squared, and
its base is as wide as the base of the elytra.

Herewith is represented the typical British species,.
Tenebrio molitor, the colour of which is shining
blackish-brown, the body being rather
flat and very thickly punctured.
Each of the elytra has one very short
stria next to the scutellum, and eight
others reaching to the apex. It lives
in corn-mills, flour-stores, bakehouses,
and similar localities, and in conse-
quence is often called the FLOUR

Tenebrio molitor. -o -p

The larva is popularly known by the name of
MEAL-WORM, under which name it is largely supplied
to bird-fanciers, who find that many of their feathered
pets will not live unless they have a constant supply
of insect food, such as is afforded by the Meal-worm,
which, in consequence of the perpetual warmth of its
home, breeds throughout the year. From April to
June is, however, the best time to find the perfect
insect.

THE family of the Pyrochroidae is rendered
familiar to us by means of the well-known CARDINAL
BEETLE (Pyrochroa rubens), so called on account of
its beautiful scarlet colour. The insect is represented
below.

The Pyrochroidae are known by the distinct neck
the rounded thorax, and the form of the antennae,

CARDINAL AND OIL BEETLES. 127

which in the males are boldly toothed. The man-
dibles are deeply notched at the tips, the maxillary
palpi have the last joint rather axe-shaped, and the
elytra are long, wide, and cover the whole of the
abdomen. The typical genus has the antennae longer
than the head and thorax, and very
boldly 'pectinated,' or comb-like, in
the males, in which sex the eyes are
distant from each other. c Pectination '
is nothing more than a development
of ' serration,' or saw-like form, each
of the joints being drawn out into a
long and narrow tooth, sometimes
on one side only, but often on both Pyrochroa rubens.
sides. The latter form of pectination is conspicu-
ously shown in many moths, as we shall see when we
come to treat of these insects.

The forehead of the Cardinal Beetle is black, and
there is a curved rust-red mark between the eyes.
The thorax and elytra are rich scarlet, intensified by
a short velvety down with which the surface is
covered. This insect is as plentiful as it is hand-
some, and it may be captured throughout the summer.
It is often one of the inmates of the sweeping-net,
after that implement has been used among the flowers
of hedgerows. The larva is whitish in colour, and
inhabits decaying willows.

EVERYONE who has walked in the country, and
used his eyes, must have noticed the well-known OIL
BEETLES (Melofy so called from their curious habit of
ejecting a drop of clear yellowish oil from the joints

128 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

of their legs when they are handled. The colour of
these Beetles is dull, dark indigo blue, and they are

wingless, slow - moving in-
sects, especially the females,
so that they have no chance
of escaping from capture, to
which their very conspicuous
shape renders them liable.

The life history of the
Oil Beetle is a very curious
one. The female Beetle de-

Meloe cicatricosis (female). . . 1-1 • «

posits in little holes in the

ground a vast number of the tiniest imaginable yellow
eggs, placing several thousands in each hole. As
soon as the eggs are hatched, the larvae make their
way into the open air. They are most extraordinary
creatures, and no one who saw the newly-hatched
and the full-grown larva of this Beetle would ever
imagine that they could be the same creature, and in
the same stage of metamorphosis. They are scarcely
so large as the semicolon (;) used in this work, and
are long-bodied, furnished with six long and prehen-
sile legs, and gifted with great activity. As
soon as they reach the open air, they climb
Meioe, young the stems of flowers and gain the blossoms,

larva, magni- ^^ ^ ^ ^ ^^ presently & ^

comes to gather honey or pollen, when the little larva
leaves the flower, climbs upon the bee, and clings to
its body with its clasping legs.

The bee, unconscious of its new burden, goes as
usual to its nest, when the larva quits its hold, and
remains in the nest. The parent bee being gone,

INSECT STUFFING. 129

thinking that everything is right, the Meloe larva
devours the egg, and then throws off its first larval
form in order to assume another, in which it some-
what resembles the grub of the cockchafer. It now
turns its attention to the food prepared by the bee
for its young, and finds therein just sufficient nutri-
ment to carry it through its larval condition. The
reader will see that it bears not the least resemblance
to the long-bodied, quick-legged larva in the first
stage of growth.

To prepare these insects for the cabinet requires
some little care and patience, especially with the
females, for when the creature dies, the large soft
abdomen begins to shrink, and when it is quite dry,
the abdomen is not one-third its proper size, is full of
wrinkles, and crumpled out of all shape. The only
plan, therefore, is to stuff it with cotton wool. The
usual mode of so doing is, to cut a slit on the under
side, remove the contents of the abdomen, and replace
them with cotton wool. I have, however, found this
plan scarcely satisfactory, inasmuch as the edges of
the slit are apt to recede from each other, so that
the cotton wool is visible. There is another plan,
certainly involving more trouble, but with far better
results. With sharp scissors cut off the abdomen
altogether, squeeze and draw out its contents gently
by the hole which is made at its base by the blades of
the scissors. Through the same aperture introduce the
cotton wool, a very little at a time, so that you can
exactly restore the original shape of the abdomen,
taking care to stuff it a trifle larger than it was
originally, because the skin will contract a little on

K

130 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

the cotton wool. Now, stick the point of a needle
perpendicularly into the setting-board, and pass the eye
into the abdomen through the same hole, so as to
prevent it from losing shape by lying down. Set the
other half of the Beetle independently, and, when both
parts are quite dry, join them with a tiny drop of
coaguline. If this be properly done, there will not be
the slightest mark of any junction, and the specimen
will always look as well as it did when living, and
preserve its soft, rounded contour.

CHAPTER XI.

RHYNCHOPHORA, OR WEEVILS.

THESE terribly destructive insects do not attain any
great dimensions in England, but they make up for
their diminutive size by their enormous numbers.
How many species are known to inhabit this country
it is impossible to say, as new species — especially
those of small size — are continually being added to
our lists ; but if we say that about five hundred
British species are at present catalogued, we shall be
very near their number.

The name Rhynchophora is formed from two Greek
words, signifying ' snout-bearer,' and is given to these
insects because the head is very much prolonged and
narrowed, in some species looking like the long
curved beak of the ibis or curlew. The mouth and
its accompanying organs are always at the end of
this beak, and in some species of Weevils the resem-
blance to the head and mouth of the Porcupine Ant-
eater of Australia is really startling. The name of
Tetramera, or ' four-jointed,' was formerly given to
this group, because its members appear to have only
four joints in the tarsi. Mr. Westwood, however, with
his wonted acuteness, pointed out that there were
really five joints, the missing joint being microscopic-

132 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

ally small, and hidden under the lobes of the third
joint. The three basal joints of the tarsus are always
furnished with a thick pad beneath, and may be seen
by examining the feet of any of our common Weevils
with a pocket-lens.

The antennas are always set well in front on the
' rostrum,' or beak, and in most, though not in all,
species are furnished with a very long basal joint, so
that they are elbowed, or ' geniculated,' according to
the scientific term.

According to the system which is at present in
vogue, the Weevils are divided into two sections —
namely, those in which the antennae are not elbowed,
and those in which they are. The former are called
Orthoceri, or ' straight-horned/ and the latter Gonato-
ceri, or ' knee-horned.' We begin with the former,
and take for our first example of
these Beetles the RED-FOOTED
WEEVIL (Bruchns rufimanus), a
figure of which accompanies this
description. This insect belongs to
the family Bruchidae, which have
antennae rather serrated, and becom-
ing gradually thicker towards the

Bruchusrufimanus. apex The elytra ^Q HOt reach tO

the end of the abdomen, and the basal joint of the
tarsus is long and curved. In the genus Bruchus the
antennae are rather delicate, and the elytra are oblong
and squared.

The Red-footed Weevil is rather variable both in
size and colour, but is usually as follows : — The
general hue is black. Upon the thorax, which has its

PEA WEEVIL. 133

edges slightly waved, there are two white spots upon
the disc, and a large triangular spot about the middle
of the base, some ashy-white hairs being scattered on
the disc. The elytron is striated and punctured, and
has a number of white spots scattered over it, and a
whitish-grey streak near the scutellum. The tip of
the abdomen is white, with the exception of two dun-
coloured spots.

All the species of this genus are exceedingly
destructive, feeding upon the seeds of beans, peas,
and similar vegetables, very often doing enormous
damage by dint of numbers, in spite of their small
individual size. The reader may perhaps have
had occasion to notice that, when peas are newly
shelled, one frequently occurs in which a hole or
a groove is scooped, the tenant being a little white
maggot. These maggots are almost ahvays the larvae
of this or some allied species of Weevil. They re-
main in the seeds until they have attained their
perfect condition, when they escape through a round
hole made for the purpose while in the larval state.
Eight species are acknowledged to be indigenous to
Great Britain. Many other species have been placed
on the British lists, but entomologists have decided
that they have been introduced into England in
cargoes of peas, beans, or corn, and therefore ought
not to be admitted as genuine British insects.
Indeed, it could be wished that the law of extradi-
tion could be extended to insects, and that these
Weevils, together with the cockroach and sundry
other destructive and noxious insects, could be
restored to the country whence they came.

134 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

THERE is an enormous genus of Weevils, consist-
ing of very tiny species, about as large and somewhat
the shape of a note of admiration (!) as here given.
Their bodies look very much like pears, the stalk of
the fruit representing the beak of the insect. In
consequence of this resemblance they have received
the generic name of Apion, which is a Greek word
signifying a pear. They have also been compared to
peg-tops ; and, if the peg were curved instead of
straight, the resemblance would be almost complete.
We will call them Pear Weevils.

In spite of the difficulties which attend the exami-
nation of these insects, the entomologist will find his
time well bestowed upon them. Independently of
other sources of interest, these tiny Beetles are
marvellously beautiful. Their colours are exceedingly
various, and the richness and perfection of the
sculpture which adorns their tiny bodies must be seen
to be appreciated. It is as if the very exuberance of
creative power had sported with these little creatures,
a thousand of which could be contained in a lady's
thimble, and yet which bear upon every portion of
their bodies a limitless profusion of highly-elaborated
ornament. The head and thorax are covered with a
multitude of deep impressions, at first seeming as if
scattered at random, but in reality disposed with
most consummate art ; while the elytra baffle all
attempts to describe their varied beauty. Agreeing
in one point — namely, the bold ridges which run
longitudinally along them — they are of infinite
variety in their details, so that a full description of
all the species would occupy much more than the

THISTLE WEEVIL. 135

space that can be given to the whole of the Beetle
tribe.

Tiny as they are, the Apions often do much damage
to the agriculturist, many of them living in peas and
beans, as has been stated of the Bruchus, some boring
into the stems or roots of plants, or making a gall-like
excrescence on the leaves or twigs. They specially
frequent clover, and in a field of this plant, and along
the adjoining hedgerows, the entomologist can take
sufficient Apions in a morning to give him full em-
ployment during the winter months with his micro-
scope. I may here mention that some knowledge of
drawing is a potent help in the study of insects ; and,
indeed, the note-book and pencil should be always
at hand. No matter how rude may be the sketch, it
is sure to be useful, and has a wonderful power in
fixing details in the mind.

In the accompanying woodcut is shown Apion
carduorum, being about one-seventh of an inch long,
while the generality of Apions are
not much more than half that length.
The head and thorax of this insect
are black, with short shining hairs
scattered very thinly over the surface.
Near the base of the head the . -_ -.•»-*
antennae are set upon two rather • (Uji,.;:'J j
bold tubercles. The elytra are of a
verdigris-green, with a tinge of blue
-a colour which is rather common Apion carduorum-
to this genus — and the spaces between the striae are
very flat.

Some eighty British species are known to ento-

136 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

mologists, and I would strongly recommend the
beginner to lay aside the examination of these little
beings until his eye is trained to seizing details by
some practice with the larger insects.

The specific name of this insect, cardu&rum^ signi-
fies ' of the thistles,' and is given because it can be
found upon that plant.

WE now come to the Weevils with elbowed
antennae, the first family of which is the Brachyderidae.
In these insects the head is short, wide, and set on
the thorax without any separate neck, a peculiarity
which has gained for the family the name of Brachy-
deridce, or ' short-necks.'

Our example of this family is Sitones lineatus,
which is represented in the woodcut which accom-
panies this description. This genus is
known by the possession of wings, the
short beak, and the third joint of the
antennae, which is shorter than the
second. About nineteen British species
of this genus are acknowledged. The
present species is a pretty though not a
brilliant insect The ground colour is
black, but the body is clothed above

Sitones lineatus. wkh ^^ Qf & warm.brown hue> while

the under surface of the body is similarly clothed, but
with scales having a silvery lustre. There is a central
furrow on the disc of the thorax, and a rather deep
impression across its apex. The elytra are punctured
and striated, with white interstices between the striae.
These white lines form the distinguishing characteristic

DELICATE SCALES.

137

of the species, which is apt to be very variable in
other respects.

The young entomologist must be very careful in
handling this and other scale-clad Weevils, as the
scales are easily rubbed off, so that nothing is seen
but the dull-black of the elytra. A roughly-handled
Weevil is just as unfit for the cabinet as a butterfly
with the rich plumage rubbed from its wings.

All the members of this genus are injurious to the
crops, especially clover and peas. The generic name
of Sitones (erroneously spelt Sitona by some entomo-
logists) is a Greek word signifying a corn-dealer, and
has been given to the Beetles in consequence of their
influence upon the harvests.

THE next family upon our list is that of the
Otiorhynchidae. This rather crabbed name is com-
pounded of two Greek words, the
former signifying an ear and the
latter a nose or snout, and is given
to this family because the beak is
developed at each side into a flat
ear-like lobe. The beak is short
and stout, and the basal joint of
the antennae reaches beyond the
eyes when directed backwards.

Of this family our typical ex-
ample is Otiorhynchnspicipes, which odorhynchus picipes.
is here represented. The typical genus, to which
this insect belongs, has the antennae long, and gene-
rally set on the tip of the beak. The scutellum is
often absent, and where it does exist is very small ;

138 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

there are no wings, and the body is egg-shaped and
convex. In this genus the ear-like lobes projecting
at the tip of the beak, sometimes termed winglets,
are very well developed, and can be easily seen
with the aid of a magnifier. By these projections
there is a deep groove in which the antenna are set ;
and in many of the species the head has a most
curious resemblance to that of a moose when viewed
sideways, the resemblance being increased by the
hairs with which the muzzle, if we may so call it, is
thickly set.

The insects of this genus are very destructive to
plants and fruit-trees, some species attaching them-
selves more particularly to definite plants, but the
generality being in no wise particular as to the sort of
plant, tree, or flower on which they feed. The present
species is very plentiful, and prefers young leaves to
every other kind of food. This fact shows that it is
one of the insects that are found in the spring time,
and, by beating whitethorn hedges about April and
May, any number can be procured. Although not
brightly coloured, it is rather a pretty Beetle. Its
colour is chestnut-brown, and the elytra are covered
with a thick coating of scales, through which a few
stiff and shining bristles project. They are boldly
striated, each stria being composed of a series of
circular impressions, and between the striae is a row
of elevated, smooth, blackish tubercles. The thorax
is very globular and thickly granulated.

NEXT comes the family of the Erirhinidae. This
name is compounded from two Greek words, which

PINE WEEVIL. 139

signify * long-beaked,' and is given to the family
because their beaks are of considerable length, nearly
as long indeed as the thorax. The first pair of legs
are set very close to each other.

IN the accompanying woodcut is seen a magnified
representation of Beetle belonging to this family. Its
name is Pissodes pini. This genus has the beak quite
as long as the thorax, and the body is egg-shaped,
but long in proportion to its diameter. The species
which is represented in the illustration is a northern
insect, and is found in Scotland, where it is plentiful
among fir-trees. It is a handsome Beetle, its colour
being rich red-brown, variegated with golden spots.

Mr. Rye describes the habits of this insect in the
following words : — ' Pissodes . . . frequents pine
forests, one species, Pissodes pini,
abounding in many parts of Scot-
land, where I have seen the female
with her rostrum deeply buried in
the soft part between the outer
bark and solid timber of fresh-cut
fir-trees. In the hole thus formed
an egg is deposited, the larva pro-
ceeding from which eats galleries
under the bark until it is full-

... . Pissodes pini.

grown, when it closes its retreat
with particles of wood, grass, &c., and changes to a
pupa. The perfect insects . . . cling very tightly to
the fingers when handled.' The name Pissodes is
formed from a Greek word signifying pitch, and is
given to these insects because they inhabit the fir-tree.

140 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

WE now come to a Beetle which has doubtlessly
annoyed many of my readers, especially if they should
happen to be, or to have been, schoolboys. When
cracking a filbert after the primitive fashion, it is by
no means pleasant to find the shell of the nut yield
sooner than expected, and the mouth filled with a
bitter black powder, instead of -the richly-flavoured
kernel. There are few things nastier in their way
than such a nut, and the fault lies entirely with the
NUT WEEVIL (Balaninus nuctim\ a figure of which is
given herewith. This is a very curious Beetle, its
beak being as fine as a needle, very long and very
much curved, so that the insect, when viewed in
profile, looks something like a shoemaker's awl.

This genus is at once known by the long and
slender beak, which is nearly as long as the triangular
body. The antennae are set in
the middle of the beak. The
present species is rather prettily
coloured. The general colour
is soft-brown, but the elytra
have a nearly white mark
shaped like the letter U, its
outlines being defined by two
black bands. The scutellum
is white. These colours are
produced by the clothing of
down with which the insect is
covered, and when the down is
rubbed off, the Beetle becomes nearly black.

The life story of this Beetle is very simple. As
soon as the nut blossom has fallen, and the fruit has

NUT WEEVIL. 141

fairly ' set,' the female Weevil begins her work. She
bores a hole into the young and still soft fruit, and in
the hole she deposits a single egg, repeating the process
until she has disposed of her whole stock of eggs.
Her business in life is now finished, and she dies.
Meanwhile, the eggs are hatched, and the young larvae
begin to feed on the substance of the nut, carefully
avoiding the germ, or vital part, so that, to all external
appearances, the nut is perfectly sound and good,
though three-quarters of its substance may have been
eaten by the larva — the little white, fat-bodied grub
which we all know so well. As soon as the larva is
full-fed, it nibbles a round hole through the shell of
the nut, escapes through it and falls to the ground,
into which it wriggles its way, and then undergoes its
transformations.

As the grub is concealed within the nut until all
the mischief is done, there is scarcely any possibility
of checking the evil. It has been suggested that, as
the nuts which have been attacked by this Beetle
become rather loose on their stems, the branches
should be beaten before the nuts are ripe, and all the
fruit that falls should be burned. Eight species of
this genus are known. The name Balaninus is derived
from a Greek word, signifying an acorn, because the
acorn as well as the nut is attacked by species of the
same genus.

WE now come to a family of Weevils called
Cryptorhynchidae. This name is composed of two
Greek words, signifying ' hidden snout/ and is given
to this group of Beetles because they have the beak

142 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

bent downwards, and capable of being received into a
groove on the under side of the body. This attitude
is assumed when the Beetle is in repose or alarmed.
In the accompanying woodcut is represented one of
these insects, named Cceliodes querciis. In this genus
the hollow in which the beak lies is between the first
and middle pairs of legs, and it is on account of this
channel that the name Cceliodes, or ' hollowed,' has
been given to the genus.

These are all very little, dumpy-bodied, sober-
coloured insects, and, when placed under the micro-
scope, they bear a curious resem-
blance to the apteryx, whose round
body and long curved beak almost
exactly reproduce the form of the
Weevil. They are generally to be
found on nettles, and can be taken
with the sweep-net. Owing to the
rotundity of their bodies, they are
very difficult subjects for the setting

Coeliodes quercus. , _ _

board. Moreover, in death, the head
always bends itself downwards, and the beak tucks
itself so firmly into its groove, that to bring it out
without injuring the insect is no easy matter.

Although this species is not a brilliantly-coloured
one, it is very pretty when viewed through a lens.
The colour is pitchy-black, the head and thorax being
thickly granulated. The elytra are striated and
punctated, and are variegated by a few whitish
patches. The under surface of the body is clothed
with white down. As its specific name implies, it is
to be found upon the oak.

RICE WEEVIL. 143

Omitting of necessity several genera of these
insects, we come to one which is among the most
destructive of the group. This is the RlCE WEEVIL
(Sitophilus oryzcz}, which is shown in the illustration
which accompanies this description. The generic
name of Sitophilus signifies ' grain-lover/ and is given
to the insect on account of the terrible havoc which
it makes in corn-stores. It belongs to the family
Calandridae, of which there is only one British genus,
that which has just been mentioned. In this family
the antennae have eight joints, the last joint being
large and rounded. The body is rather flat, and the
elytra, which are boldly striated, do not quite cover
the end of the abdomen. There is another species,
the CORN WEEVLi*(Stti#/ttfusgranartus^,wbich feeds
upon corn as the present species does on rice. The
Rice Weevil is distinguished by having four red spots
on the elytra, the Corn Weevil being altogether
dusky-red.

Like the Nut Weevil, these insects do their de-
structive work in secret, and there is no finding out
the mischief until it is too late. The mother Weevil
- tiny herself — bores a tiny hole in a grain of corn,
and therein deposits a single egg. The larva is soon
hatched - from the egg, and sets to work at feeding in
the interior of the grain, the whole of which it con-
sumes, leaving the exterior untouched, so that the
grain appears quite sound. Of course, the damaged
grain is lighter than the sound one, the body of the
larva not compensating in weight for the amount
of substance devoured by it ; and if the corn be
thrown into water, the damaged corn will rise to the

144 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

surface, and may be skimmed off and burned. As,
however, damaged corn and rice can both com-
mand a sale, and as all damaged grain is not
attacked by the Weevil, the dealers will seldom
employ such a measure ; though to destroy all
the light corn for the sake of killing the Weevils
would in the long run be more profitable than
keeping it for sale and allowing the Weevils to
live.

The destruction wrought by these tiny foes can
scarcely be over-estimated, but some idea of it may be
estimated from the following state-
ments which were made at the Ento-
mological Society, April 4, 1870.
Seventy-four tons of Spanish wheat
had been carefully sifted or ' screened '
to separate the Weevils from it, and
out of this quantity ten hundredweight
of Weevils were sifted. Again, one
hundred and forty-five tons of Ameri-
can maize were subjected to the same process, and at
two siftings a ton and three quarters of Weevils were
removed. Now, each of these Beetles had consumed
several times its own weight of corn before it attained
the perfect state ; and the reader may see that, if the
grain had been subjected to the water-test and the
light portion burned, the proprietor would have saved
the cost of some two tons of corn, instead of allowing
it to be eaten by these insect devourers, the stock of
whom increased in proportion to the diminution of
the stores. It is rather a remarkable fact that all
these Beetles were Rice, and not Corn Weevils,

THE SCOLYTUS. 145

although there was no rice among the grain which
they so seriously damaged.

The larva of these Beetles is very short, fat, and
thick, and has two recurved hooks at the end of the
body. It remains inside the grain throughout its
larval and pupal life.

In the following family of Weevils — namely, the
Hylesinidce, or ' wood devourers ' — the head has but a
very short beak, and is globular in shape and deeply
sunk in the thorax. The antennae are elbowed, and
have a long basal joint and a flattened club. The
front tibiae are broad at the tip, and used for digging
purposes, and the mandibles are short, strong, sharp,
and triangular. They are all timber-feeders, and
sometimes work terrible destruction in the forests,
even when the trees are still living.

As a typical example of this group we will take
the most destructive wood-eating Beetle that we have
in this country. Its name is Scolytns destructor, and a
very appropriate name it is, the generic name being
of Greek origin, and referring to the winding passages
or burrows which it makes when in the larval state,
and the specific name explaining itself. There are
six species of British Scolyti, but the present example
serves as the best type of the whole genus. This
genus is distinguished by the shape of its body, which
is obliquely cut off behind, and by the club of the
antennae, which is three-jointed, solid, and flattened.
The last joint but one of the tarsus is cleft.

The colour of our species is slightly variable, but
is mostly as follows : — The head is black, wrinkled

L

146 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

longitudinally, and the thorax is very large in pro-
portion to the size of the insect, and is covered with
very small punctures. The elytra are sometimes
black, sometimes pitchy, and sometimes bright-chest-
nut, and are striated, the spaces between the striae
being punctured. So much for the appearance of
this Beetle — we will now proceed to its history.

When the mother Scolytus is about to deposit her
eggs, she flies to a tree, and searches about the bark
for a favourable spot. Having foun d it
she sets to work and gnaws a hole com-

Ipletely through the bark, until she gets
between the bark and the solid wood.
/Jl l\ "^e next drives a tunnel, scarcely
/^•tewY wider than her own body, and then
" goes back along the tunnel, and de-

Scolytus destructor. pQsits her £ggs along jt jn many

cases she exhausts all her life-powers in the effort,
and dies before she can entirely escape from the burrow,
the entrance of which is stopped up by her body, so
that no foe can enter.

The eggs are soon hatched, and then the larvae
begin their destructive work. They feed on the soft
inner bark, and each larva, as it feeds, instinctively
turns itself at right angles to the burrow in which it
was hatched, and gnaws for itself a tunnel, which
widens in proportion to the growth of the larva.
These burrows extend for an inch and a half or two
inches in length, and the result is, that a piece of
bark, some three inches or more in diameter, is com-
pletely severed from the tree, and can no longer per-
form its office. At the widened end of the burrow

BURROWS OF THE SCOLYTUS. 147

the larvae assume the pupal form, and, after under-
going their change into the perfect insect, gnaw their
way through the bark, and are ready to lay the foun-
dations of new colonies.

When a great number of these insects bore into a
tree, they often destroy it entirely, the bark being
separated as completely from the wood as turf is
severed from the ground when the spade is passed
under it. There is a tree — or rather, what was a tree
— standing within a few yards of my house, which
has been stripped by the Scolytus. The whole of the
bark has peeled off, and nothing is left but the naked
wood, scored all over with the radiating tunnels of
the destroying insect.

It is much doubted whether the Scolytus ever
attacks a healthy tree, principally, as is conjectured,
because in such trees the burrows of the insects are
filled with sap, which not only drives out the Beetles,
but prevents their eggs from being hatched. Still
when a tree becomes unhealthy, the attacks of the
Scolytus prevent it from recovering itself; and such
serious damage has been done by this insect to our
trees, especially the elms in and about London, that
the attention of entomologists has long been directed
to the subject, in hopes of discovering some device
by which the ravages of the Scolytus may be checked,
if not altogether stopped. As yet, however, no scheme
has succeeded. Various plans have been suggested,
such as injecting poisonous fluids into the hole made
by the mother Scolytus. This might possibly answer,
provided the operater could be sure of discovering all
the holes, and provided that the liquid did not kill

L 2

148 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

the tree as well as the insect. The ' Gishurst Com-
pound ' would do as much in this way as anything
could, but it cannot be employed on a large scale.

At present, the opinion seems to be that the only
plan which offers the least probability of success is a
* stamping out ' process, similar to that which saved
us in the time of the cattle-plague. By this plan, all
trees which are visibly attacked by the Scolytus are
to be cut down, and stripped of their bark and the
outer layer of wood, which are then to be burned,
so as to destroy the Scolytus, its larvae, pupae, and

149

CHAPTER XII.

LONGICORNES, OR LONG HORNED BEETLES.

THIS group of Beetles derives its name from the
shape of the antennae, which are generally long,
though in some of our commonest species they are
only of moderate length ; but, whether they be long
or short, they are never clubbed, and are mostly
slender and thread-like. Their head is not lengthened
into a beak like that of the preceding group, and the
elytra are always broader at the base than the thorax.
There are other peculiarities of structure, but these
are quite sufficient to distinguish them. Indeed,
there is something so characteristic in the appearance
of a Longicorn Beetle, that even a novice finds no
difficulty in recognising it.

They are all wood-borers in the larval condition,
and are thin, long, whitish grubs, rather flattened, and
with the segments boldly marked. By means of this
latter structure, the larvae are able to force their way
through the wooden tunnels in which they live.
They possess the usual six legs, but these limbs are
only rudimentary, and of no use in locomotion.

As the grub has to feed upon hard material, it is
furnished with very strong horny jaws, and, in order

150

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

to accommodate the muscles which move these jaws,
the head is very broad and covered with a hard skin,
nearly as strong indeed as the jaws themselves. In
consequence of their habits, the proceedings of the
larvae are difficult of observation, and require ma-
chinery such as few entomologists can hope to possess.
Still, by carefully opening the trees which are infested
by these destructive insects, much can be learned of
their habits, and many pleasant and instructive hours
be spent in this task. We will now proceed to

examine some of
the British species
of the Longicorn
Beetles.

OUR first ex-
ample is the beau-
tiful MUSK BEETLE
(Aromia [or Ce-
rambyx\ moschatd],
an insect which is
equally grateful to
the eye and the
nostril.

This is really a
lovely insect, the
shape being pecu-
liarly elegant, and
the colour a soft
green, sometimes
glossed with blue, gold, copper, or bronze, the hue
being exceedingly variable. Even the thorax par-

Aromia moschata.

THE MUSK BEETLE. 151

takes of this variability, being sometimes rough, and
sometimes very smooth and glossy.

It owes its popular name to the powerful and pleas-
ing odour which it exhales, and which is said by some
persons to resemble ottar of roses. For my part, I
never could perceive much resemblance between
the somewhat sickly scent of the ottar and the
fresh sweetbriar-like odour of the Beetle. This
scent can be perceived at a considerable distance, and
the presence of the Beetle can often be detected by it,
even when the insect is itself concealed. Shortly
after I came to live in West Kent, I was passing
along the road, and declared that a Musk Beetle was
in the neighbourhood. My companions, not knowing
the scent, could not believe me, and made themselves
rather merry on the subject. In the course of the
day, however, one of the same party, a young lady,
was passing by the same place, and carried off a fine
Musk Beetle in her hair.

The scent of this insect is as enduring as it is
powerful, and, if the Beetle be held with a gloved
hand, or wrapped in a handkerchief, it will impart
either to the kid or cambric its peculiar odour, which
will last for a very long time. From a series of
experiments made some few years ago, I have come
to the conclusion that the Musk Beetle can emit or
retain its odour at pleasure as long as it is in full
health, but that when the insect is weak, or in a
dying state, it is unable to retain the scent.

Wherever willow-trees are to be found abundantly,
there the Musk Beetle is sure to be, because it feeds
on the interior of that tree while in the- larval state.

1 52 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

The ground on which my house stands being very
high, and the soil being gravel, I was very much
surprised at perceiving the Musk Beetle which has
just been mentioned, thinking that no willow-trees
were near. However, after a while, I came upon
some of these trees, at a distance of some 300 yards,
growing on the banks of a little stream that ran in the
valley below. Sometimes a tree is absolutely riddled
with the burrows of these larvae, which bore deeply
into the very heart of the timber, and leave little
except a shell of bark surrounding a sort of soft
wtfoden sponge.

Those who wish to capture the Musk Beetle will
find that they cannot do better than explore the
largest, the oldest, and the most rugged willow-trees.
The Musk Beetle is not a very active insect, and is
fond of clinging to the bark of the willow, and re-
maining perfectly still for many hours together. I
may mention that the surface of
this Beetle affords a most gorgeous
object for the microscope.

OUR next example of the Longi-
cornes is a very common and very
pretty Beetle, and known to ento-
mologists by the name of Clytus
arietis. In this genus the antennae

Clytus arietis. ^ ^^ ^^ ^ body > the last

joint being somewhat conical. The palpi are short,
with the last joint stout and three-sided, the angles
being rounded. The thorax is globular, and the body
cylindrical.

WASP BEETLE. 153

The colour of this species is black, with three
yellow bands across the elytra, and a yellow patch
at their tips, so that the insect has a very waspish
look, and is popularly known as the WASP BEETLE.
The similitude is increased by its fussy mode of
walking, and the perpetual movement of its antennae,
and, as it crawls in and out of the foliage on
hedges, it has so very wasp-like a look that few
persons, except . they be entomologists, like to touch
it. In its larval state it burrows into wood, and
emerges somewhere about midsummer. It is fond
of frequenting flowers, and can be taken in almost
any quantity. Being rather variable in the hue of its
markings as well as in size, a series ought to be taken
for the cabinet.

THE last Longicorn Beetle which space will allow
us to describe is known by the name of Strangalia
armata. In this genus the thorax is without spines,
is narrow in front and flattened
above. The body is very narrow
and almost pointed behind. The
front of the head is rather length-
ened. The present species has the
ends of the elytra deeply cut, so as
to form a rounded notch with
toothed edges, and the male can
be recognised by two conspicuous
tooth-like processes on the inner

•j r ,1 1-1 ^.-T.- r\ • Strangalia armata.

side of the hinder tibiae. Owing to

these peculiarities, the specific name of armata^ or

' armed/ has been given to the Beetle. In colour and

154 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

size it is one of the most variable of British Beetles,
scarcely any two specimens being exactly alike.
Sometimes it is almost entirely black barred with
yellow, sometimes yellow barred with black, while it
varies in length from five lines to three-quarters of an
inch. Being so variable, the entomologist ought to
have a series of specimens in his cabinet. There is
not the least difficulty in obtaining them, as it is a
very common Beetle, and can be found in plenty upon
the umbelliferous plants — these being the favourite
resorts of many Beetles. It is tolerably active, and
takes to the wing as soon as it is alarmed. Seven
species of this genus are known in England.

155

CHAPTER XIII.

EUPODA.

WE now leave the Longicorn Beetles, and come to
another section, called the EUPODA, a name derived
from two Greek words, signifying * beautiful feet.'
By some authors the section is named Phytophaga,
this word being also of Greek origin, and signifying
•* plant-eater.' They are all pretty insects, and some
of them, though not large, are singularly beautiful
both in form and colour. In the Beetles belonging
to this section the antennae are short and slender, and
have a short basal joint. The head is deeply sunk
into the thorax, the elytra cover the sides of the
abdomen, and the last joint but one of the tarsus has
two lobes. They are all vegetable-feeders, and, as
most of them are attached to certain plants, there is
little difficulty in finding them.

Passing by the family of the Sagridae, of which we
have but four species in England, all belonging to
one genus, we begin \vith the Donaciadae. In this
family the antennae are longer than is usually the
case with the Eupoda, and they are set just in front
of the eyes. The head is large in front and narrowed
behind, and the first segment of the abdomen is very

1 56

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

long. Our example of this family belongs to the
typical genus, and is known to entomologists by the
name of Donacia menyanthidis, a figure of which is
given in the accompanying woodcut. In this genus
the body is flattened, polished, and shining above,
thickly punctured, and having altogether a metallic
aspect. Below, it is covered with a very fine down.
The antennae have the fourth and following joints
elongated.

All the Donaciae may be found on water-plants,
especially on reeds, from which they derive the generic
name, Donax being a Greek word, signifying a reed.
Although some of the species are rather rare, the
Donaciae are, beyond compari-
son, the most common of water-
frequenting Beetles, and the
leaves of reeds, water-lilies, and
other plants are often studded
with these beautiful insects,
whose polished and variously-
coloured bodies glitter in the
sunbeams like living gems. As
many of the species are ex-
ceedingly variable in colour, it
will be as well for the ento-
mologist to procure a considerable number of speci-
mens, many, which at first sight appear to be different
species, being, when closely examined, seen to be
nothing but varieties of the same species. There is
scarcely a colour of the rainbow which is not ex-
hibited by one or other of the Donaciae, and in some
instances the same species exhibits an astonishing

Donacia menyanthidis.

ASPARAGUS BEETLE. 157

__^ -v

variety of colour — one being perhaps almost black,
another blue, another green, another copper, another
purple, another red, while another is as made of bur-
nished gold.

The larvae of these Beetles live within the stems
of the various water-plants, and on that account the
species have derived their names from the plants on
which they live.

Altogether, exclusive of varieties, of which there
are a great number, nineteen British species of this
beautiful genus are known. In some places these
Beetles are so plentiful that seven species have been
found on water-plants within the limits of one small
pond.

The present species is shining-green above with a
brassy gloss, and below it is silvery-white, owing to
the soft down with which it is clothed. There is a
bold groove on the front of the head, and the elytra
are both striated and ' crenated,' i.e. covered with
little marks formed like segments of circles. It is not
a very common species, being usually confined to
certain localities.

THE best known species of the genus Crioceris is
the ASPARAGUS BEETLE (C. asparagi], which feeds on
the plant from which it derives its name. This
insect is much longer in the body than the preceding
species, though smaller in point of bulk. It is very
prettily coloured, the thorax being deep-red, and the
head and elytra shining-blue or green-black, the latter
being marked with reddish-yellow, so as to look as if
they were yellow on which a black cross had been

158 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

laid. The larvae are grey, soft-bodied creatures, and,
together with the perfect insect, can be found in any
number upon the asparagus after it has been allowed
to run to seed, and wave its feathery branches and
pretty round fruit in the air.

Now we come to a family in which most of the
species are brilliantly coloured ; and even those in
which the hue is apparently of a sombre cast are seen,
when closely examined, to be really clothed with as
much beauty as their more conspicuous relatives.
This family is called the Chrysomelidoe, a name which
is composed of two Greek words, signifying ' golden
apple,' and is appropriately given to these Beetles on
account of the globular shape of their bodies, and the
lovely tints with which they are adorned. In these
Beetles the head is very far sunk in the thorax, but,
not so deeply as in the last-mentioned family, and the
antennae are stouter, shorter, and more thickened
towards the tip. The body is oval or round, and the
legs are of equal size. In the
genus Timarcha, from which our
example is taken, the wings are
not developed, and the elytra are
firmly soldered together at the
suture, so that they cannot be
opened.

Herewith is represented an
insect which is very plentiful, and
isevigata. known by the name of Timarcha
Icevigata. It is better known, however, by the popu-
lar name of BLOODY-NOSE BEETLE, because it has

BLOODY-NOSE BEETLE. 159

a habit of ejecting a large drop of red fluid from its
mouth when it is handled. There are only two
British species belonging to this genus, and they are
by far the largest English representatives of the
Chrysomelidae. The present species sometimes nearly
reaches a length of three-quarters of an inch, and, as
the body is very stout and globular, it may take rank
among the larger British Beetles.

At the first glance, this insect appears to be black,
but a careful examination with a magnifying glass,
aided by a strong light, shows that the real colour is
the deepest indigo-purple, sometimes with a gloss of
green. The whole of the upper surface is thickly
covered with small punctures, which impart to it a
sort of velvety gloss. The tarsi are very broad, and
furnished beneath with thick, greyish-yellow pads.
There is a very broad impression on the forehead.
The second species, Timarcha coriacea, much resembles
the present insect. It is not, however, so large, and
is rather blacker above. The chief distinction, how-
ever, is to be found in the punctures of the elytra,
which are deep, and have a tendency to run together,
so as to form irregular lines. This formation cannot
be seen without the use of a magnifying glass.

The larva of this Bloody-Nose Beetle is wonder-
fully like the perfect insect. It is large, heavy, soft-
bodied, and covered with a shining blue or green skin,
a yellowish patch appearing at the apex of the body.
It is very common in the ditches under hedgerows,
especially if the hedge be allowed to flourish in the
luxuriant and picturesque manner which is so fascinat-
ing to an artistic eye, and so hateful to the agricultural

i6o COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

eye of the farmer, who cares nothing for beauty, and
would sacrifice the loveliest country scene in England
to get another cart-load of turnips out of his field.
How these great, sluggish, conspicuous larvae ever
escape the many perils of larval life is really wonder-
ful. I can only account for their survival on the
supposition that they are distasteful to the insect-eat-
ing birds. Very many larvae of this section secrete a
bitter, or acrid liquid, and the Timarcha larva may
perhaps be protected by some such means.

IN the accompanying illustration will be seen de-
picted a member of the typical genus, Clirysomela sta-
phylea. In this genus the wings are
fully developed, and the last joint of
the palpi is rather hatchet-shaped.
The present species is a mode-
rately large one, and has the body
extremely convex. The general
colour is reddish-brown with a
slight metallic gloss. The whole
upper surface is covered with
punctures, those of the head and
ia staphyiea. thorax being very fine, and those
of the elytra large and irregularly disposed. Beneath,
the body is pale-brown. There are about twenty
British species of this beautiful genus. The present
species takes its name from the common Bladder-nut
{Staphyiea pinnatd], upon which it can be found. It
is a very common insect.

PASSING by the family of the Galerucidae, we come

TURNIP FLEAS. 161

to the enormous family of the Halticidae, the members
of which, though individually small and insignificant,
collectively exercise very great influence upon the
agriculture of our country. One of these insects is
shown beneath, and is one of several Beetles which are
known by the popular name of TURNIP-FLEAS or
HOPPERS. It is called scientifically Phyllotreta (or
Haltica] brassicce.

All the Halticidae can be distinguished by the very
thick hinder femora, which denote the possession of
great leaping powers on the part of
the insect. The antennae are set be-
tween the eyes, and the edges of the
elytra are wavy. They are attached
to different plants, and are so constant
to them that their specific names are
often taken from their food-plant.
The colour of the present species is
deep-black, and there ai*e two longi-
tudinal yellow streaks upon each of

. . , . Phyllotreta brassicae.

the elytra, one near the base, and the
other towards the apex. The body is egg-shaped,
and the elytra are rounded at their tips. It is about
the smallest species of the genus.

The true Turnip-flea is another species, called
Phyllotreta nemorum, the colour of which is black, with
a broad longitudinal yellow streak running nearly, but
not quite, to the end of the elytra. Both in the larval
and perfect stages this insect is extremely damaging
to the turnips, feeding upon the first tender shoots as
they appear above the ground, and so destroying the
whole plant. Sometimes they will devastate a field

M

162 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

so completely, that it must be re-sown if a crop be
wanted.

The name Phyllotreta is of Greek origin, and
signifies ' leaf-borer.' There are more than a hundred
British species of these little Beetles, and the now
restricted genus Phyllotreta contains fourteen species.

We now pass to the family of the Cassidiidas,
commonly known by the popular and appropriate
name of TORTOISE BEETLES.
There is no possibility of mistak-
ing these Beetles, which are flat-
bodied, rounded, and have the
head completely hidden under the
wide thorax, which overlaps the
base of the elytra. As the insects
sit upon leaves, the whole of the
head and limbs are completely
hidden by the thorax and elytra,
just as are those of a tortoise by
its shell. Most of the species are
green, though some of them are
adorned with spots and stripes of
red and gold. All these colours
are exceedingly fugitive, and van-
ish soon after the death of the
a insect. Glycerine has been tried

Cassida viridis. Wjtj1 some of theSC mSCCtS, but

with little, or no success.

A very common species, Cassida viridis, is shown
herewith. It is of a rather dull-green colour, the base

A NATURAL UMBRELLA. 163

of the elytra taking a slightly reddish hue. It may be
found plentifully on thistles.

At Fig. b of the same illustration is shown the
extraordinary larva of the Tortoise Beetle. It is very
flat, and has the sides covered with flattened spines.
But the most curious portion of its structure is the
forked apparatus that proceeds from its tail and passes
over its back. This fork serves a very curious pur-
pose. Like several other larvae, both carnivorous
and vegetable feeders, this creature is sheltered by a
sort of umbrella formed of the refuse of its food.
But, instead of lying directly on the back, the
umbrella is supported on the fork at some little dis-
tance from the body, and, when it becomes too weighty
it can be shaken off and a new one gradually pro-
duced. The pupa is scarcely less curious in appear-
ance, and is drawn at Fig. c.

There is only one British genus of this family, and
it contains about thirteen species.

M 2

1 64

CHAPTER XIV.

PSEUDOTRIMERA.

WE now come to the last section of the Beetles, the
PSEUDOTRIMERA. This name is compounded of three
Greek words signifying * false three-joints/ and is
given to the insects on account of the structure of
their tarsi, which appear to have only three joints,
though in reality they have four joints ; the missing
joint, which is the third, being very minute, and hidden
within the doubly-lobed second joint.

THE first family upon our list, namely, the Cocci-
nellidcz, is composed of insects which are very familiar
to us under the popular name of Lady-birds or Lady-
cows — the former being the more common as well as
the more poetical name. These insects are all flat
below and convex above ; the body is rounded and
the antennae are short. The typical genus, Coccinella,
has the hinder angles of the thorax acute. Many
species of these pretty insects inhabit England, but
some of the species are so exceedingly variable in
point of colour, that the varieties have been described
as actual species by practised entomologists. It is
common enough to find a blue insect running into

LADY BIRDS. 165

shades of green, and vice versdt ; but in some of these
Lady-birds, the same species will be red spotted with
black, black spotted or blotched with red, black spotted
with yellow, yellow spotted and barred or blotched
with black, and so on in infinite variety.

We can briefly describe but one species, a very
common one, and then proceed to the habits of the
insect.

The best-known of the British Lady-birds is the
common SEVEN-SPOT LADY-BIRD (Coccinella septem-
piinctata}, a species that derives its name from the
seven black spots upon the elytra. These spots are
exceedingly variable in size, and sometimes one or two
spots are absent, while there is one variety in which
there are no spots at all. All the Lady-birds possess
long and ample wings, as they have to fly to consider-
able distances.

Beautiful as are the Lady-birds, it is not for their
beauty alone that they are valued, inasmuch as they
are among the greatest benefactors of civilised man,
and preserve many a harvest which, but for their aid,
would be hopelessly lost. For, in their larval state
they feed upon the aphides — the * green blight ' or
' green-fly ' of gardeners — and, being exceedingly vora-
cious, devour vast numbers of those destructive insects.
Few persons would suppose, on looking at the Cocci-
nella larva, what was its real condition of life. It
looks as harmless, dull, sluggish a creature as can be
imagined, and much more likely to be eaten itself
than to eat other insects. Yet, with all this innocence
of aspect, it is so ruthless a destroyer of animal life,
that if a few of them be placed on a bush or plant

1 66 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

which is infested with aphides, in a day or two not an
aphis will be left.

Especially is the Lady-bird useful in those parts
of the country where hops are grown. There is an
aphis which feeds especially upon this plant, and
which has been known to destroy whole plantations
in a single season, causing the greatest distress among
the multitudes whose living depends more or less
directly upon the hop. Fortunately, the Lady-bird—
usually the little TWO-SPOT LADY-BIRD (Coccinella
bipunctatd] — comes to the rescue, and follows the
aphides wherever they are most plentiful. The mother
insect lays her eggs in packets among the aphides,
and, as soon as the young larvae are able to move
about, they begin to feed upon the insects near where
they have been placed.

In some seasons the swarms of Lady-birds almost
exceed belief. I have seen the streets absolutely red
with them, and the houses covered with their multi-
tudes, while within doors a thick band of Lady-birds
ran along the angle of the walls and ceiling like a red
cable, large bunches hanging in each corner. These
insects very well illustrated the adage that 'dirt is
only matter in the wrong place.' Nothing could be
more beneficial than their presence in the locality, as
it was situated in the very midst of hop gardens, and
by their means the year's harvest was saved from
destruction. But, though they were much wanted out
of doors, they were not at all wanted inside the house,
especially as Lady-birds have a very unpleasant
odour, which, when multiplied by tens of thousands,
becomes almost unbearable. Even after the rooms

A CURE FOR TOOTHACHE. 167

had been cleared, they were almost uninhabitable, and
the more so that it was impossible to keep the windows
open, because the Lady-birds flocked into the room
in swarms, and would soon have replaced those which
had been ejected. Even throughout the winter many
of them retained their positions, having been kept
alive by the warmth of the fire.

When the larva is full-fed, it attaches itself to a
twig or leaf by the end of its tail, and thus hangs with
its head downwards. Presently, the larval skin splits
down the back, but the pupa does not emerge, remain-
ing within the larval skin until it has changed into its
perfect form. It has been mentioned that the Lady-
birds give out a very unpleasant odour. This is caused
by a yellowish liquid which issues from the joints of the
limbs, as has been described in connection with the
Oil Beetle, and which has a very powerful and dis-
agreeable scent. In some parts of the country this
liquid is considered to be a cure for toothache, the
finger being first rubbed against the legs of the Lady-
bird, and then on the offending tooth. In its larval
state it emits a similar liquid from the tubercles upon
its body.

THE family of the Trichopterygidae contains a
good many species, of which we select one as our
example. This is TricJiopteryx atomaria, which is
represented on the next page.

These are all little Beetles, and, indeed, are the
tiniest of the British Coleoptera. Small as they are,
they can be easily recognised when examined by the
aid of a lens, so bold are the characteristics which

168 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

mark them. The antennae are long, slender, and
beset with long hairs, and having a bold three-jointed
club. The wings are very long and narrow, and
fringed with hairs, a peculiarity which has gained for
them the name of Trichopteryx, or 'hairy wings.'
Sometimes the wings are undeveloped, but when they
are present they are always fringed with hair. There
are other characteristics of the family, but these are
sufficient for the recognition of any insect that belongs
to it.

In the typical genus, Trichopteryx, the antennae
are about half as long as the body, the head is convex,
large and triangular, and the wings
are furnished at their tips with several
bundles of hairs. The present species
is one of the largest of the family, and
yet it is only one twenty-fourth of an
inch in length. Small as it is, by the
side of other species of the same
genus it is really a giant, most being
the thirty-sixth part of an inch in
length, while there are some which

Trichopteryx atomaria , , , i i , i r 1

• are barely one-hundredth of an inch
long. Some notion of the size of these tiny creatures
may be obtained by looking at the little line on the
right hand of the figure, and reflecting that they
measure just one quarter of that length.

The little insect which has been chosen as our
example of these ' micro-coleoptera,' as the tiny
Beetles are called, is tolerably common, and can be
found under heaps of decaying leaf-mould and simi-
lar localities. Though the finder may not be able to

TL\Y BEETLES.

169

recognise the precise species when he discovers it, he
can at all events see that it is a Beetle, whereas, when
he finds the exceedingly minute creatures which have
just been mentioned, it is impossible for him to know,
without the aid of a lens, that the little black speck is
even an insect, much less whether it be a Beetle or
not. The best mode of capturing these Beetles is to
take some leaf-mould from under a heap, scatter it
thinly on a sheet of white paper, and then go over it
carefully with a tolerably powerful lens.

Owing to the very minute dimensions of these
Beetles, the exact definition of the species is a very
difficult business, but it is evident that many species
are known in this country.

PASSING by one family of this section, we come to
the Pselaphidae, of which remarkable family two
examples will be given, each
illustrating one of the sub-
families.

In these Beetles the elytra
are very short, so short, indeed,
that for many years these in-
sects were classed among the
Brachelytra. The club of the
antennae is bold and well-de-
fined, the last joint being very
large. The head is narrowed
behind into a distinct neck.

The first sub-family is
called the Pselaphina^, and in them the antennae have
eleven joints, and the eyes and parts of the mouth are

Pselaphus Heisei.

i;o COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

well developed. The genus Pselaphus, of which
there are only two British species, has the antennae,
palpi, and legs very long. The commonest species,
Pselaphus Heisei, which is represented herewith, is
shining yellow-brown, has its body very flat and wide,
and on each side of the suture of the elytra there is
a stria which runs from the base to the tip. It can
be shaken out of moss, as can its very rare congener
PselapJms Dresdenensis^ which may be distinguished
by its dark colour and a semicircular impression at
the base of the thorax.

THE last example of the British Beetles is,
perhaps, the strangest of all our native insects, and
how it can find any gratification in existence is not
easy to see. We feel that the life of a blind and
deaf man is a hard one, shut out as he is from free
intercourse with his fellow-creatures, and incapable of
enjoying, or even of comprehending, the common
blessings of sight and hearing. Yet he is capable of
one kind of animal enjoyment, for he can eat, and
indeed upon this capability is based the course of
instruction by which such afflicted persons have been
rescued from their wretched isolation, and taught to
interchange ideas with their fellow-men. But, sup-
posing that a man who was incapable of sight or hear-
ing were also found without a mouth, and yet
possessing the power of living without food, we should
think that such a being must have reached the very
abyss of misery — a misery beyond all power of alle-
viation.

BLIND BEETLES. 171

Yet in the Beetle which is shown below we see an
insect in which these imaginary privations are the
normal state, and which possesses neither eyes nor
mouth, and is capable of supporting existence without
food. We should, however, be very wrong in suppos-
ing that this insect must be miserable because a human
being under such conditions would be supremely
wretched, and may be sure that, in some mysterious
way, this Beetle, which leads a darkling life and is
incapable of eating, is just as happy in its way as the
brilliant butterfly that basks in the sunshine, and flits
from flower to flower, enjoying their lovely colours
and sweet juices.

Whether this insect be possessed of some senses
unknown to us, must of necessity be a problem not
likely to be solved, but, as far as we can
judge, the only sense which it can
possess is that of touch. The name
Pselaphidae refers to this supposition,
and is formed from a Greek wrord,
signifying the groping movements of
one who tries to find his way in the dark.

The name of this Beetle is Claviger

foveoiatus, the former name signifying

1 club-bearer/ and given to the insect on Claviser foveolatus-

account of the form of the antenna, which is boldly

clubbed, and has only five joints. This Beetle can be

found in the nests of the yellow ant (Formica flava),

a very common insect, which makes its nests under

large stones if it can find them, or, in default of such

shelter, throws up little mounds of earth. It mostly

172 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

prefers heaths and hilly districts. The colour of the
beetle is yellow, like that of the ant with which it
lives, and it has no wings. The name foveolatus is
given to it on account of the deep fovea, or hollow in
the middle of the abdomen.

LEPIDOPTERA.

LEPIDOPTEEA.

CHAPTER I.

RHOPALOCERA, OR BUTTERFLIES.

I VERY much regret the necessity for using such
words as that which appears at the head of this
chapter. I employ such words as seldom as possible,
and always explain them when compelled to use
them, as is the case at present. Still, in many in-
stances, scientific terms are absolutely necessary,
because there are no existing English words which
have the same signification, and in many others, even
though there may be English equivalents, the scien-
tific terms are so universally employed that it is
necessary to introduce them and explain their mean-
ing.

To begin with the word Lepidoptera. It is
formed from two Greek words, the one signifying a
scale, and the other a wing, and is given to those
insects because their wings are, for the most part,
covered on both sides with flat scales which overlap
each other just like the tiles of a house. This is the
most important characteristic of the order, but there

1 76 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

are one or two others which must be noticed. The
mouth is formed for suction. The mandibles, or
jaws, which are so conspicuous in the insects which
we have hitherto examined, and which indeed are
large and powerful in the larval state, are scarcely
visible, being reduced to mere rudiments of jaws.
The maxillae, on the contrary, are very much elongated,
and modified into the beautiful proboscis through
which the insect is able to suck the sweet juices of
flowers. The pupa is enclosed in a hard, shelly case,
not resembling the perfect insect, this form being
scientifically called ' obtected.'

The Lepidoptera are usually supposed to fall
naturally into two great divisions or tribes, . known
popularly as Butterflies and Moths. The distinguish-
ing features of the former may be briefly summed up
as follows. The antennae are terminated by a kind of
knob, or club, the body is pinched in at the junction of
the thorax with the abdomen, while the hinder wings
are rigid and incapable of being folded. There are
also one or two minor distinctions, which, however,
need not be here mentioned.

With the British Lepidoptera this division into
these two great tribes answers well enough, although
in both groups there are one or two insects which
present rather anomalous characteristics. But, when
we come to inquire into the structure of the foreign
representatives of the order, we find that this arrange-
ment no longer holds good, for there is no single dis-
tinguishing feature of the constituents of the one group
which is not possessed by some of the members of
the other. Thus the clubbed antennae of the butter-

I. F*-ont I'inv of head. II. Side view.

III. Fore lying. i — 5. Subcostal nervules. 6, 7. Discoidal nervules.
8—io. Median nervules. n. Submedian nervure. 12. Internal nervure.
13 — 15. Disco-cellular nervules. 16. Interne- median nervule. 17. Median
nervure. 18. Subcostal nervure. a. Costal nervure. b. Costa or anterior
margin. c. Apex or anterior angle. d. Posterior or hind margin. e. Pos-
terior or anal angle, f. Interior or inner margin. g. Base. h. Discoidal cell.

IV. Hind-wing. 1,2. Subcostal nervules. 3. Discoidal nervule. 4 — 6. Me-
dian nervules. 7. Submedian nervure. 8. Precostal nervure. 9. Sub-cos-
tal nervure. 10. Median nervure. u, 12. Disco-cellular nervules. a. Costal
nervure. b. Costa or anterior margin. c. Apex or anterior angle. d. Hind
margin. e. Tail or caudal appendage. f. Anal angle. g. Abdominal or inner
margin. h. Base.

V. Underside of body. 1—7. Abdominal segments. 8. Caudal or anal ex-
tremity, a. Antennae. b. Tarsus. c. Tibia. d. Femur. e. Palpi

/. The head. g. The thorax. h. Abdomen.

1 78 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

flies are also found in a marked degree in many of
the moths, while the slender and contracted body,
and the structure of the hinder wings are found in
insects of both tribes.

However, as this work treats of entomology in a
popular rather than a purely scientific sense, we will
accept the more general system of classification, and
still retain the title of butterflies and moths, as applied
to the insects of the two so-called divisions of the
Lepidoptera.

On the preceding page is a map or chart of a
Butterfly, showing the principal portions of the insect,
and the distinctive names attached to them by ento-
mologists. Some of these words look rather formid-
able, but there is really little difficulty in learning and
retaining them ; and the best way of mastering them is,
to trace them out on the wings of various Butterflies,
and, if possible, to sketch those wings on an enlarged
scale, and write the names of the different portions.
The principal portions of the wings are those which
are denoted by letters, and which should therefore be
learned first ; the knowledge of the other portions
being gained by degrees. Here I may mention that
Mr. E. Newman repudiates the word nervure, and
substitutes the simpler word ' ray,' as analogous with
the fin-rays of fishes. He is undoubtedly justified in
considering that * ray ' is the better word, but as in all
scientific accounts of the Lepidoptera the word ' ner-
vure ' is used, I have employed it, leaving the reader
to substitute the word ' ray ' if he should prefer it.

The reader will notice the enormous size of the
eye-masses, as shown in Fig. I, this great size and

THE SWALLOW-TAIL. 179

bold projection being rendered necessary by the fact
that these insects are all day fliers, perpetually on the
wing, and, consequently, very conspicuous. Now,
there are many creatures — certain birds, for example,
dragon-flies, and other predacious foes — which are
very fond of Butterflies, and would wofully thin their
numbers did not their multitudinous eyes enable them
to see the approaching enemy in time for their broad
wings to carry them out of danger. The form of the
proboscis is also shown in Figs. I and 2, the former
representing it as it appears when coiled up so as to
be out of harm's way, and the latter showing it as
partly uncoiled; as it appears when the insect is about
to take food.

WE now proceed to take in their order some
typical examples of British Butterflies. The first
family is called Papilionidae, and may be distinguished
by having the first pair of legs formed for walking,
the tip of the antennae not hooked, and the discoidal
cell of the hind wings quite closed. Only one genus
inhabits this country, and only one species, the
beautiful SWALLOW-TAIL Butterfly (Papilio Machaon\
which is shown in the frontispiece.

In the genus to which this Butterfly belongs, the
hind wings are tailed, and the caterpillar, or larva, is
furnished with a forked appendage called the ' nuchal
horn ' because it issues from the neck. In this species
the horn is only used in moments of irritation, and
is concealed within the body, its place being only
marked by two dots. If, however, the caterpillar be
irritated or hurtj it immediately throws out the horn,

N 2

i8o COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

which can be protruded to the length of half an inch
or so. Many naturalists suppose that this horn is in-
tended for the purpose of driving away the ichneumon
flies when they attack the larva. I can, however,
scarcely accept this theory, because the ichneumon
flies are terribly injurious to many other caterpillars,
which yet are supplied with no apparatus for driving
them away. This organ, whatever purpose it may
subserve, gives forth a very strong odour, much re-
sembling that of fennel, and so powerful that even in
the open air it can be perceived at some distance.

The colour of this splendid Butterfly is almost
entirely yellow and black. On the lower wings, how-
ever, there is a row of six cloudy blue spots, sprinkled
with yellow dots, and at the anal angle of each lower
wing is a large red spot with a slight blue crescent on
the upper part. This Butterfly was once spread over
a considerable part of England, but now seems to be
restricted to the marshy parts of Cambridge, Hun-
tingdon, and Norfolk. It has been taken in many
other places, but I believe that in all those instances
it was not native to the place, but had been artificially
introduced. In 1845 or 1846 I once saw a specimen
in a field by the Cherwell, close to Oxford, and chased
it for some time, but unsuccessfully. Whether or not
this was an introduced specimen, I have no means of
ascertaining.

The egg of this insect is light green in colour and
oval in shape. It may seem rather superfluous to
say that an egg is oval in shape, but we shall presently
see that many eggs of Butterflies are anything but
oval in shape. Just before the egg is hatched, its

GIRTED CHRYSALIDS. 181

colour darkens until it is nearly black, which in fact
is the colour of the young caterpillar. As soon as the
larva is hatched, it eats the shell of the egg in which
it has been developed, and after every change of skin
it eats in like manner the garment which it has thrown
off. The colour of this caterpillar is a beautiful leafy/
green, the interstices between the segments being
velvet-black. Upon each of the twelve segments of
the body there is a black bar, which in all the seg-
ments except the second is adorned \vith six orange
spots. There are other markings, but these are the
most characteristic.

This beautiful larva feeds on several plants, such
as the hog's-wort, or cow-parsnip (Heradeum sphondy-
liujji), the marsh-parsley (Peucedannm palustre), and
even on the leaves of the common carrot, when nothing
better can be obtained. Larvae of this splendid Butter-
fly have been successfully reared upon carrot leaves.

When the caterpillar is full fed, it quits its food-
plant, crawls up the stem of a weed, and there
assumes the pupal form, binding itself to the weed by
a sort of belt. This belt may be almost called a
cable, for it is very stout and strong, as well as elastic,
and will sustain a considerable tension before it is
snapped. There are many British Butterflies whose
pup^e are thus girt to the object on which they under-
go their transformation. Mr. Newman gathers these
together in a group, which he terms Succincti, or
Girted Chrysalids. All these pupae have the head
directed upwards.

THE next family, the Pieridie, is distinguished by

182

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

the fact that the hind wings form a sort of receptacle
in which the abdomen lies. The larv« do not possess
the nuchal horn, and are wider in the middle and
narrower at the two ends. The insects which com-
pose this family are the most familiar of our English
Butterflies, and are popularly known as White Butter-
flies. There are, however, several White Butterflies
that do not belong to this group, and several that
belong to it which can scarcely be called white. How-
ever, the popular name is expressive, though not
wholly accurate.

We will proceed at once to the best known of all
our Butterflies, the LARGE WHITE BUTTERFLY
(Pieris brassica), which is drawn in the accompanying
woodcut. As to the colours of this insect, they are
simply black and white, so that the illustration gives
us a very good idea of the colour as well as of the

form of the insect. The
specimen represented is
a male ; the female
being similarly coloured,
but without the two
large black spots on the
fore wings. In its lar-
val condition this is a
most destructive crea-
ture, and does great
damage to the plant
from which it takes its
name. It is, in fact, so
destructive that those who keep kitchen gardens, or
are interested in agriculture, should ruthlessly kill

Pieris brassicae.

WHITE BUTTERFLIES. 183

every Cabbage Butterfly that comes across them.
There is no cruelty in doing so, for no one has any
scruple in killing the caterpillar, and it is surely
better to kill one Butterfly than fifty or sixty cater-
pillars which it produces.

The reader may remember that, when treating of
the Swallow-tail Butterfly, I stated that all insect eggs
were not oval. The egg of this insect is an example
of a considerable departure from the oval shape.
These eggs are deposited in small clusters, varying
from two or three to twelve, and they all stand upright
on their bases, just like a number of little bottles,
being fixed to the leaf by a gummy secretion. The
caterpillars are hatched in about a fortnight, and grow
very rapidly. When full-fed they ascend some con-
venient object, and change into the pupa, which is
fixed by its tail, and prevented from falling by a stout
silken belt passed loosely round its body. Its colour
is grey-white, with a slight dash of blue, diversified by
a number of little black spots. The point of the head
is yellow, and so is a line along the ridge of the back.

There are two broods of this destructive insect,
the first in May and the second in August, so that, if
its numbers were not kept down by the ichneumon
flies, we should scarcely have a cabbage in England.

THERE are several other Butterflies which go by
the popular name of Whites.

There is, for example, the SMALL WHITE (Pieris
rapa\ a very variable Butterfly, in which the male is
nearly white, except a clouding at the tips of the
upper wings, and a rather indistinct dark spot on the

1 84 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

costal edge of the lower wings. The females are at
once distinguished by having two black spots on the
disc of the upper wings. The caterpillar is a pretty
green larva, and is a very indiscriminate feeder. I
have bred a long series of them from mignonette
growing in a window-box. The Butterfly appears in
the midst of summer.

The GREEN-VEINED WHITE (Pieris Napi) may
be known by the peculiarity from which it takes its
name. When inspected from below, the under surface
of the lower wings is seen to be dull yellow, the
nervures being edged with a greyish tint, which has
the effect of green when contrasted with the yellow.
The upper wings have much the same colouring, but
not so strongly marked except at the tips. This
caterpillar feeds on the watercress and one or two
other plants.

CLOSELY allied to the Whites is the beautiful
ORANGE-TIP (Anthocharis card amines), so well known
by the orange-tipped wings of the male, from which
it derives its popular name. The female is without
the orange hue, but both sexes have the under side of
the lower wings beautifully mottled with green. The
insect is as plentiful as it is beautiful, and may be
captured in almost every meadow or lane in the early
summer. It does not fly very fast, and generally
keeps rather low, so that there is no difficulty in taking
it. The caterpillar feeds on various cruciform plants,
and its colour is opaque green.

IN the accompanying illustration may be seen a

THE BRIMSTONE BUTTERFLY, 185

drawing of a very well-known insect, the BRIMSTONE
BUTTERFLY (Gonepteryx rhamni), the popular name
being derived from the beautiful deep yellow of the
male. The female is very much paler, as if the colour
had been washed out of her, and in both sexes
there is a little orange-red spot on each wing, the
position and shape of which are indicated in the illus-
tration. In this genus the wings are boldly angled at
their tips, from which circumstance the name of
Gonepteryx^ or * angle-winged,' has been given to it.

Gonepteryx rhamni.

This is one of our earliest Butterflies, sometimes
making its appearance even in winter, should the sun
happen to shine brightly. These early specimens are,
in fact, the Butterflies which are developed in the
autumn of the preceding year, and which had retired
to some secluded spot wherein to hibernate. The
warmth and light of a bright, sunshiny day awake
them from their torpor, and tempt them into the open
air.

The larva of this Butterfly feeds on the buckthorn
(Rhamnus\ from which it derives its specific name of
Rhamni. The colour of the larva is green, but the

1 86 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

surface of the body is thickly covered with tiny black
projections or warts, each tipped with a slender white
point.

BELOW is represented one of the prettiest of our
Butterflies both in colour and form, the CLOUDED
YELLOW (Colias edusa].

All those who have studied the Lepidoptera must
have been struck with the marvellous variety and
contrast of colour that can be produced by one or two
hues. This insect is nothing more than black and

orange, and yet is a
singularly handsome
one. The upper wings
are warm orange, edged
with a deep border of
black, in which are a
few pale orange spots
in the female, the black

Colias edusa. male. •. , r , 11*

band of the male being

unspotted. There is also a bold black spot near the
upper edge. The lower wings are coloured in much
the same way, except that the orange is pale, and
approaching to yellow. There is, however, a warm
orange spot on the disc. Both pairs of wings are
edged with a very warm border of orange, brighter and
warmer in the upper than in the lower pair. Beneath,
the colour is yellow, warming into orange on the disc
of the upper wings, and the spot on the lower wings
is brown, with a white centre.

This handsome Butterfly is widely spread, and
occasionally occurs in considerable numbers, especially

FRITILLARIES. 187

in and near our Southern coasts. It is found in best
condition at the end of summer, and through the
autumn ; but, as it is a hibernator, individuals are
seen in the early spring, somewhat shabby and worn
in appearance and lacking the brilliancy which
distinguishes the newly- developed insect.

The larva is grass-green in colour, and is covered
with a great number of tiny bristle-bearing warts.
It feeds on the clover, and consequently clover fields
are much haunted by the perfect insect. The eggs
are long and narrow, and have been compared to nine-
pins in shape. They are affixed to the leaf by one of
the ends, so that they stand upright. The larvae are
hatched about Midsummer. The chrysalis, or pupa,
is attached by its tail and a belt, like that of the
Cabbage Butterfly, and does not seem to be very
particular as to its position, generally being upright,
but sometimes horizontal.

WE now come to the beautiful family of the
Vanessidae, which includes some of our handsomest
and best-known Butterflies. Among other distinc-
tions, in all these insects, the first pair of legs are very
small, and not used in walking.

Our first example is the DARK GREEN FRITIL-
LARY (Argynnis aglaia). The Butterflies belonging
to this genus are popularly known as 'Fritillaries, and
all of them have the under surface of the lower wings
adorned with metallic spots and markings which look
as if made of burnished silver. The generic name
Argynnis, which is taken from the Greek, signifies
' brilliant ' or ' shining,' and is given to the insects in

1 88 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

consequence of this peculiarity. The colour of the
present species is bright warm brown in the male,
marked with a dark bronze-green in the female.
The wings are profusely spotted with black on the
upper surface, and on the under surface of the lower
wings are a number of round bright silver spots, and
near the margin of the wing is a row of seven semi-
circular silver spots.

This insect is generally spread over England, and
is plentiful in many parts of Kent, especially on the
downs which lead towards the sea. Mr. Newman
remarks that hilly, fern-covered ground is the best
locality for this Butterfly. The larvae feeds on the
dog violet {Viola canina). Its, colour is very dark
shining grey, mottled with black. When full-fed,
which takes place about the middle of July, it selects
a suitable spot and there changes into a pupa, sus-
pending itself by its tail, which is very strongly
curved. It remains in the pupal state about eighteen
days, and then emerges in its perfect form.

There are five other species of Argynnis, all of
which are very similar in their colouring. As they
are liable to variation, the beginner finds great diffi-
culty in identifying them. This, however, can gene-
rally be done by means of the silver markings on the
lower wings, which in .some species form bold, clearly
defined spots, like solid silver leaf, and in others take
the shape of marks or streaks, just as if a brush had
been dipped in silver powder and drawn over the
wing. The larvae of all the species are spiny, and
feed upon the violets and their kin.

THE CAMBERWELL BEAUTY. 189

NEXT we take the typical genus Vanessa, of
which we must examine several examples, as they
are among the most conspicuous of our insects. In
this genus the club of the antennae is short and bold,
the first pair of wings are more or less regulated, and
the eyes are extremely hairy. If examined with the
microscope, it will be seen that the hairs are planted
at the angles of the hexagonal facets.

The handsomest and rarest of these Butterflies is
called scientifically Vanessa Antiopa, and it is popu-
larly called the WHITE-BORDERED, on account of the

Vanessa Antiopa.

broad white edging of the wings, or the CAMBERWELL
BEAUTY, because in 1/48 three specimens were taken
near Camberwell, then a country village.

The colour of this magnificent insect is rich brown,
shot with deep purple. The wings are edged with a
broad grey-white band, just inside which is a row of
blue spots.

Ox the next page is a profile portrait of the

1 90 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

COMMA BUTTERFLY, scientifically termed C. Album,
or the White C. These names are given to the
insect because on the under
surface of the lower wings
there is a curved mark, very
much like the letter C in
shape, and of the purest white-
There is not the least diffi-
culty in identifying this insect,
even without taking the trouble
to inspect the under surface,
for both pairs of wings are so
Graptac. album. deeply scalloped that there is

no possibility of mistake. The upper surface of the
wings is warm red-brown, mottled with black, both
the ground hue and the markings being subject to
considerable variation.

A better known example of this family upon our list
is the GREAT TORTOISESHELL ( Vanessa polychloros).

This handsome insect is well named, as its rich
mottlings of black and warm chestnut-brown bear no
small resemblance to the colours of the tortoiseshell.
In some parts of England this species is tolerably
common, while in others it is never found.

It is common in Kent. Lieut-Col. C. J. Cox,
who has given great attention to this insect, told
me an anecdote of the mode in which it deposits
its eggs. He watched a female deposit an egg or
two on a leaf, and wishing to rear the insect from
the egg, he cut off the branch and removed it The
Butterfly, however, continued to fly up and down

TORTOISESHELL BUTTERFLIES.

191

near the spot, and refused to leave it, evidently

searching for the

leaf on which she

had deposited her

eggs. The branch

was then restored

to its place in the

tree, as nearly as

could be done. The

Butterfly at once

saw and recognised

it, proceeded to the

same leaf, and deposited more eggs upon it.

Vanessa polychloros.

THE SMALL TORTOISESHELL, or COMMON TOR-
TOISESHELL ( Vanessa urticce], is coloured much like
the preceding insect, but the hues are rather brighter
and the whole pattern of the wings defined more
clearly, and looking more compressed. It is too
familiar to need any detailed description. The cater-
pillar feeds on the common stinging-nettle, and may
be found in great numbers upon it, sometimes being
so numerous as to blacken it with the caterpillars
clustering upon the leaves, which are drawn together
with the silken threads spun by the larvae. The pupa
is suspended by the tail, and is very angular. Its
colour is brown, mottled and spotted with black, and
having several" patches of a brilliant gold, as if bur-
nished gold leaf had been laid upon it. This beau-
tiful colouring has given to the pupa the name of
Chrysalis, this being a Greek word signifying any-
thing that is gilded. The golden hue is unfortunately

192

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

very transient, and vanishes as soon as the Butterfly
has emerged from the pupal envelope.

The splendid, and fortunately common, insect,
the RED ADMIRAL {Vanessa Atalanta), comes next
in order. This Butterfly can be at once recognised
by the broad scarlet band near the upper wings and
along the edge of the lower wings, a bold and con-
spicuous style of colouring possessed by no other
British insect The ground-colour of the wings is
velvet-black, diversified with some large white spots
on the tips of the upper pair of wings, and an oval
blue spot on the anal angle of the lower pair. It is
easy enough to describe the markings of the upper
surface, but those of the lower surface are almost
beyond description. Suffice it to say that the colour
of the first pair is much like that of the upper surface
only paler ; while the under surface of the lower
wings exhibits a most complicated mottling of brown,
grey, blue, green, ochre, and black, arranged in a

marvellously artistic
manner, and forming
a series of definite,
but complicated pat-
terns.

If this beautiful
Butterfly were only
rare, it would be the
admiration of all col-
lectors. As it is
plentiful, it is only admired by those who value
Nature, not for the sake of mere rarity, but for her
own sake. Being one of the latter kind, I have a

Vanessa Atalanta.

A GORGEOUS SPECTACLE. 193

most enthusiastic admiration for the Red Admiral,
and am never tired of examining it in the cabinet, or
watching it as it flits at liberty in the open air, with
the swiftly graceful flight that has earned for the
insect the name of Atalanta.

The larva of this Butterfly is a nettle-feeder, and is
quite common. The chrysalis, which may be found at
the end of summer, is suspended by its tail from the
roof of this habitation, and there hangs until the per-
fect insect makes its escape. This chrysalis, like that
of the preceding insect, is adorned with brilliant golden
patches on the sides, and its general colour is warm
grey, mottled with black.

Ripe and fallen fruit has always a great attraction
for this Butterfly. One of the most magnificent
sights I ever saw was due to this predilection for
fruit. A fine egg-plum tree had been entirely
neglected, and its fruit permitted to ripen on the
boughs and then fall to the ground. An army of
insects took advantage of such an opportunity, and
the tree and its vicinity swarmed with wasps, ants,
and other lovers of sweets.

But the most striking point was the host of
Atalanta Butterflies which surrounded the tree.
They were approaching in every direction ; the
branches were crowded with them, and the fallen fruit
upon the ground was so covered with them that
neither fruit nor ground could be seen for the Butter-
flies, as they waved their black and scarlet wings
gently up and down. So completely occupied were
they with their rich banquet that they took no notice
of me as I stood by them, and even permitted me to

O

i94 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

pick them up with my fingers. The sun was shining
brightly on this wonderful assemblage, and brought
out the grandly contrasted colours until they shone
with tropical splendour. I never saw such a sight
before, and am not likely to see such a one again.

WE will now pass to the pretty Butterfly called,
on account of the variegated colouring of the under
surface, the Painted Lady. Its scientific title is
Vanessa cardni. The colour of the upper wings is
deep black. There are five spots near the tip of a
pure white, and the pale markings on the disc of the
wings are warm chestnut. There is a slight white
scalloping along the edge of the wing. The lower
pair of wings are coloured in much the same way,
but the only white portion is the scalloped edging.
The bases of the wings are thickly covered with scales
of a golden lustre.

In its larval state, the Painted Lady feeds on the
thistle (Cardmis arvensis\ from which the insect
derives its specific name of Cardni. It prefers the
young and tender leaves of the plant, and draws their
edges together, so as partially to enclose itself in the
leaf. When it changes into a pupa, it suspends itself
by the tail, and there remains until it emerges in its
perfect form, somewhere about August.

In its habits, the Painted Lady much resembles
the preceding insects, becoming developed in the
autumn of one year, but not pairing until the spring
of the next year. It is fond of flitting about in search
of honey-bearing flowers, and especially frequents the
teazle, on which flower the Red Admiral, the Great

PEACOCK BUTTERFLY. 195

Tortoiseshell, and the Peacock Butterfly often bear it
company. I have taken all those insects plentifully
on teazles in Bagley Wood, near Oxford.

As in the case with other Butterflies, the Painted
Lady is wonderfully intermittent in its appearance,
sometimes being absent or extremely scarce for
several years, and then appearing in swarms for a
year or two in succession.

WE must not complete our notice of this genus
without brief mention of the beautiful PEACOCK
BUTTERFLY ( Vanessa Id], so conspicuous on account
of the * eyes ' or circular marks on both pairs of wings.
The under surface of the insect is brown-black,
mottled in a most curious but almost indescribable
manner. Whether the sombre colouring be intended
for defence I cannot say, but there is no doubt that
the insect often owes its life to the contrast between
the upper and under surface. When a Peacock
Butterfly is chased, it has a way of flying round a
tree trunk, and settling on it, closing its wings at the
same time, and bringing them together over its back.
In this attitude it looks wonderfully like a dead leaf,
and the change from a large, active, beautifully-
coloured Butterfly, to a thin, black, shrivelled leaf, is
so great and so rapid that scarcely any eye but that
of an entomologist would detect the insect.

The larva is one of the nettle-feeders, and is
mostly very common, in some places quite as plen-
tiful as that of the Tortoiseshell, while in others it has
to be searched for carefully before it can be found.
The general colour of the caterpillar is black, and the

196 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

body is covered with a great number of long spines,
which may, perhaps, defend it from the poisonous
spikes of the plant on which it feeds. The chrysalis
is green in colour, brighter when the change is first
made, and darker when the future Butterfly is nearly
developed.

IN the accompanying illustration is shown one of
our handsomest Butterflies, the celebrated PURPLE
EMPEROR, or EMPEROR OF MOROCCO (Apatura Iris).
This genus differs from Vanessa in having the club

of the antennae long instead of knobbed, and the club
nearly straight. The eyes are without hairs, the hind
wings scalloped, and the first pair of legs are not used
for walking. Only one species inhabits England.
Its popular name of Purple Emperor is a very

PURPLE EMPEROR. 197

appropriate one, at least as far as regards the male
insect. The ground colour of the upper wings is
brown-black in some lights, but in others is a rich
shining purple, this effect being produced by the
shape and arrangement of the scales, as can be seen
by examining a specimen under the microscope.
The light-coloured bands and spots are white, pure
white in the male, and yellowish-white in the female.
Beneath, the general colour is rust-red, blotched with
black, grey, and here and there blue.

In former days the Emperor was supposed to
restrict himself to the topmost branches of the oak-
trees, and entomologists were accustomed to supply
themselves with nets furnished with long handles
made on the principle of the fishing-rod, the handle
of the net being at least thirty feet in length.

Now-a-days entomologists who wish to catch the
Purple Emperor do not trouble themselves to procure
nets with preposterous handles — weapons with which
I believe that a successful stroke can scarcely be
made. They now look out for a secluded open space
or glade in the wood, situated, if possible, on wet
soil, lay on the ground a piece of bullock's liver, a
dead rat or rabbit, or, in fact, any kind of animal sub-
stance, and go away again. For this insect has a
strange liking for the most repulsive viands. There
is nothing it likes better than the juices of putrid
animal substances ; and a dead dog or cat, which
would drive away any human being who possessed
nostrils and was not an entomologist, would attract
the Purple Emperor to a rich banquet.

In two or three days, according to the weather,

198 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

they come back again, and steal quietly to the spot.
Should the district be one that is favoured by this
insect, very few of the baits will be without a Purple
Emperor either settling on them or being at hand ;
and, like the Red Admiral, when engaged in taking
food, the insect is so absorbed in its occupation that
it can be taken without the least difficulty. If the
locality be well selected, and the baits judiciously
laid, it is very seldom that the entomologist will com-
plete his round without having the opportunity of
capturing this splendid Butterfly. So successful is this
method of capturing the Purple Emperor that one
entomologist succeeded in taking eighty specimens in
nine days.

The caterpillar or larva is a very odd-looking
creature, the most conspicuous points in which are
the two horns with which the head is furnished. It
feeds on the sallow, and, when partly grown, assumes
so nearly the colour of the leaf that a sharp eye is
needed to detect it. There are many markings and
shades of colour in the caterpillar which need no
notice, the general green hue and the horned head
affording characteristics which cannot be mistaken.
The perfect insect appears somewhere in July, the
precise date depending much on the weather.

NEXT comes the family of the Satyridae, in which
the first pair of legs are not used for walking, the club
of the antenna is bqld and abrupt, and the wings are
rounded. The larva has no spines, and the pupa is
nearly smooth.

There are several well-known Butterflies belong-

BLUE BUTTERFLIES. 199

ing to this family, but our space will not permit of de-
scription. Such, for example, are the SPECKLED
WOOD BUTTERFLY (Satyrus Egeria], the WALL
BUTTERFLY (Satyrns Megczra], the GRAYLING
(Satyrus Semele\ the MEADOW-BROWN (Satyrus
Janira], and the RINGLET (Satyrus Hyperanthus), the
last-mentioned insect being remarkable for the fact
that the upper surface of the wings is perfectly plain
brown, while the under surface is warm brown
adorned with sixteen spots, each spot having a white
centre, then a broad black circle, and then an
outer circle of white. It is an extremely variable
Butterfly, both in the size and number of the spots ;
but ninety-nine specimens out of a hundred have
the sixteen spots, three on each of the upper wings
and five on each of the lower wings, the latter being
arranged in two groups consisting of three and two
spots. All these Butterflies are plentiful, and can
be caught without difficulty in lanes or fields, their
flight being sluggish, and never rising much above the
ground.

WE now pass to the family of the Lycaenidae, in
which are included those small, but very lovely
Butterflies which are known by the popular name of
Blues and Coppers, in allusion to the prevalent tints
of their wings. The latter insects are seldom seen
except by those who go to look for them, but the
former are prevalent everywhere, fluttering low over
wide downs, settling on wild flowers, or aiding in
adorning our gardens with their beautifully variegated
wines.

200 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

A GOOD example of the Blue Butterflies is
depicted below. This is ths CLIFDEN BLUE (Polyom-
matus Adonis}.

The colour of this pretty species is bright shining
blue, with a delicate white line on the costal margin
of the fore-wings, and a black line on the hind mar-
gin. The fringe of the wing is
pure white, with a black spot
at the end of each nervure.
The female is brown on the
upper surface, with a slight
gloss of blue, and on the fore-

Polyomtnatus Adonis. . . .... ,11 1*1

wings is an indistinct blackish

spot on the disc, and a number of small spots parallel
with the hind margin. Both sexes have the under-
side of the wings brownish, with a number of little
spots. This Butterfly is found on chalk downs and
similar places, but seems to be restricted to those
spots where there is a substratum of chalk.

PASSING of necessity by the rest of the Blues and
the little Butterflies called by the name of Hair-
streaks, we come to the family of Hesperidse, popularly
known by the name of Skippers, probably on account
of their quick, uncertain flight. They are all small
insects, coloured with brown, black, grey, and white,
and very thickly and clumsily made, so that many
persons unskilled in entomology take them for moths.
They have the fore-legs fitted for walking, and when
at rest they hold their wings only partially erect, and
never pressed closely together, as is the case with the
previously-mentioned Butterflies. They are plentiful

BLUE BUTTERFLIES. 201

in country lanes, and are often taken in the net when
the stroke is made at other insects, their vague and
almost jerking flight carrying them into it.

The pupae of these insects resemble those of
several moths in the manner in which they are pro-
tected during their helpless state of existence. When
the larva is full-fed, it spins a cocoon among the
leaves of its food-plant, and in that silken cell awaits
its change into the perfect condition.

The species which is herewith represented is the
Chequered Skipper (Hesperia paniscus). The colour
of its wings is dark brown, upon
which are a number of yellow
spots, arranged as shown in the
illustration. The antennae are
bright yellow beneath, and banded Hesperia
with black and yellow above. It is rather a local
species, and is found chiefly in the Midland counties.
It appears in the beginning of summer.

202

CHAPTER II.

HETEROCERA, OR MOTHS.

The Nocturni, including the Sphinges and Bombyces
of Linnceus.

IT has already been mentioned that there is no diffi-
culty in distinguishing English butterflies from English
Moths. Similarly, there is none in distinguishing
English Moths fron English butterflies.

In the first place, the antennae of these insects are
not knobbed at the end, but pointed. Some of them
have the ends of the antennae much enlarged, as may
be seen, for example, in those moths known by the
popular title of Burnet. In all these, however, the club
of the antenna is elongated, and the end is pointed.
Moreover, whereas in the butterfly the shaft of the
antenna is straight and simple, in many of the Moths
it is curved, and in others is adorned with a feathering,
sometimes on one side and often on both. For this
reason the scientific name of HETEROCERA, or * Varied
horns/ has been given to these insects, just as Rhopa-
locera, or ' Clubbed horns ' is given to the butterflies.

Then, the wings of a Moth at rest are not pressed
together over the back, like those of the butterflies, but
either lie flat on the body or along its sides. The

SPHINX- OR HAWK-MOTHS. 203

body, moreover, has no waist like that of the butterfly.
Keeping these few and obvious distinctions in his
mind, the young entomologist need never hesitate to
decide to which great group any lepidopterous insect
belongs.

THE first family is that of the Sphingidae or
Sphinx-Moths. They derive their name, not from
any peculiarity in the Moths themselves, but in their
larvae, some of which are thought to bear in their
attitude a fanciful resemblance to the well-known
Sphinx of Egypt. The Moths themselves are popu-
larly and appropriately called Hawk-Moths, on account
of the great swiftness of their flight, which very much
resembles that of the hawk tribe. Their whole struc-
ture, indeed, shows that they are made for rapid flight,
and, if we compare them with the swift-flying birds,
especially the swallows and the humming-birds, we
shall find that the outlines of Moths and birds are
wonderfully similar. Their bodies are of moderate
length, and pointed at the tail, and their wings are
long, strong, stiff, narrow, and pointed. In fact, if the
shadow of a humming-bird and of a Hawk-Moth were
thrown side by side on the same surface, it would not
be easy to tell which was the shadow of the bird and
which of the insect.

With a very few exceptions, these Moths fly only
at night or in the dusk of the evening, so that to watch
their flight is not an easy matter. The best plan is,
on some moonlight night, to take a stand near some
honey-bearing flowers, to remain perfectly still, and
watch quietly. Should there be Hawk-Moths in the

204 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

neighbourhood, some of them are tolerably sure to
come to the flowers, and to feed in their own peculiar
manner, by poising themselves in mid-air on their
rapidly quivering wings, and thrusting their sucking-
tubes or trunks into the recesses of the flower. As these
Moths will not fly by day, and as the partial darkness
prevents their movements from being seen, it is better
to look out for the well-known Humming-bird Hawk-
Moth, which does fly by day, and is a very bold insect,
allowing itself to be approached quite closely.

OUR first example of the Hawk-Moths is the
magnificent DEATH'S HEAD MOTH (Acherontia
Atropos), an insect seldom seen except by practical
entomologists.

This splendid creature ranks among the very
largest of our insects, inasmuch as the spread of its
wings is very considerable, and the body is thick and
heavily made. The upper surface of the fore-wings
is warm-brown, with bands and mottlings of a darker
hue, and a little white spot on the disc. The hind
wings are yellow, with two black bands. The thorax
is densely covered with a soft velvet-like down, feeling
to the touch very much like the fur of the mole. The
colour is a very deep black-brown, and in the middle
is a yellow mark which bears the most startling resem-
blance to a skull and the two collar bones. The hair
is so long that the shape of the skull can be altered
by pressure. The body is yellow, with a longitudinal
black stripe along the middle and six black transverse
bands, each marking the edge of a segment Beneath,,
the body and wings are yellow, with an indistinct dark

DEATHS-HEAD MOTH. 205

band across the middle of each wing and a slightly
darkened edging. The antennae are very thick, covered
with down, and furnished at the tips with a sharp hook.

The larva of this Moth is of enormous size, and is
a very handsome creature, and exceedingly variable
in tint, the general colour varying through different
shades of yellow, green, and grey. The whole surface
is covered with very tiny black dots, and on each side
are seven diagonal blue or purple stripes, edged with
white. Near the end of the tail is a curious horn-like
appendage, curved downwards and then slightly re-
curved upwards near the point. The horn, contrary
to the usual fashion of such horns, is very rough and
covered with tubercles.

It feeds on various plants, of which the jessamine
and the potato are the favourites, though it may be
found on the sno\vberry, the tea-tree, and the deadly
nightshade, this plant being allied to the potato. This
caterpillar is invariably called a locust by the country
people.

One of the most remarkable points in connection
with this insect is its capability of producing sounds —
a capability which is scarcely less striking than the
skull depicted upon its thorax. If seized, or alarmed
in any way, it produces — for I cannot say utters — a
sharp squeaking sound, something like the cry of a
mouse.

Although this sound is familiar to entomologists,
no one has yet discovered its source. Some have
thought that it is caused by the rubbing of the head
against the thorax, some by the attrition of the an-
tennae and trunk, and some by the friction of the thorax

2o6 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

against the abdomen. These theories are, however,
neutralised by the fact that not only can the perfect
insect produce the squeak, but that the caterpillar can
do so, though it possesses neither trunk nor antennae,
and has no distinctive head, thorax, or abdomen.

Owing to the vast quantity of hair with which the
body is covered it is of some consequence to secure
specimens that are not damaged by being rubbed, as
is generally the case with those that are captured by
hand. The best mode of obtaining really perfect
specimens is to rear them from the caterpillar.
Labourers are not much afraid of the caterpillar,
though they are of the perfect insect, and the easiest
mode of obtaining both the larva and the pupa is to
go to a potato-field in which the labourers are at work,
and offer a small sum for uninjured ' locusts ' and
* ground-grubs.'

The caterpillars of the Death's Head Moth being
obtained and a continual supply of fresh potato-leaves
ensured, they should be kept as much as possible in
the dark. When they are full-fed they should be
placed on light soft earth into which they will burrow,
and undergo their transformations underground. It
is as well to plant in the soil a few sticks up which
the Moth can climb when it emerges, and to which it
can cling while it dries its wings. Care must be taken
to keep the earth moderately moist, placing damp but
not wet moss upon it. Unless this precaution be taken,
the outer skin of the pupa will become so hard that
the insect will not be able to make its way out when
it is fully developed. I have lost several Moths in this
way, and have had one or two in a very maimed and im-

EYED HAWK-MOTH. 207

perfect condition, their wings being quite shrivelled,
and scarcely one-sixth their proper size.

When the insect is killed the abdomen should be
carefully severed from the body, and the whole of the
contents removed by enlarging the little opening
which will then be left at its base. The empty abdo-
men should then be stuffed with cotton wool, care
being taken to make it full large in order to allow for
shrinking, and when it is dry it may be joined to the
thorax without leaving the least trace of the junction.
It will be as well to pour a few drops of benzole into
the abdomen and also into the thorax, as this precau-
tion will keep off the mites and other creatures that
work destruction among dried insects. All large-
bodied Moths should be thus treated, and some of
them can scarcely be preserved from the unsightly
' grease,' so hated by entomologists, without this use-
ful substance.

For the purpose of rearing the Moth from the
larva, the latter should be obtained about August, as
it will then be nearly full-fed, and save a vast amount
of trouble in procuring a supply of food. The pupae
themselves may be found under the soil somewhere
about September.

OWING to our limited space, we can but casually
glance at some other British Hawk-Moths. There is,
for example, the EYED HAWK-MOTH (Smerinthus
ocellatus}) so conspicuous by the large eyelike spots in
the middle of the lower wings and the beautiful pink
brown of the upper wings. The larva of this
Moth has a very rough skin, is pale-green in colourv

208 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

speckled with white, and has seven diagonal stripes
on each side of the body. The horn is blue.

Then there is the less conspicuous, but really
beautiful, POPLAR HAWK-MOTH (Smerinthus populi),
so common in the summer, clinging to the bark of
trees, to rough posts, and other objects which some-
what resemble it in general colour. It may be known
by the mottled brown of the upper wings, with a
white spot in the middle, and the warm chestnut at
the base of the lower wings. The caterpillar is rough,
like that of the last-mentioned species, and is green
sprinkled with yellow, and has seven diagonal yellow
stripes on each side. The horn is yellow above and
orange beneath. This caterpillar is plentiful, and can
be beaten out of the boughs of the Lombardy poplar.

ON lime and elm trees may be found the larva of
the LIME HAWK-MOTH (Smerinthus tilice). This is
easily known by the very deep scalloping of the fore-
wings and the prevalence of olive-green in its colour-
ing. There is some variation in the arrangement of
the markings, but the present species is the only one
in which the deep olive-green is the leading colour,
without any admixture of chestnut or pink. The
attitude of the Moth at rest is a very curious one, the
under wings being completely concealed beneath the
upper pair, the scalloped edges of which, and their
mottled surface, have the most astonishing resem-
blance to a pair of withered leaves.

The larva is pale green, and covered with very
small tubercles, each being topped with yellow.
Along the sides are seven diagonal stripes of yellow,

PRIVET MOTH. 209

which are mostly edged with pink. The horn is blue
above and yellow beneath. In most parts of England
this is a very plentiful insect, and can be either bred
or captured without the least difficulty. I have bred
considerable numbers of this insect, and have found
no difficulty in rearing them — less difficulty, in fact,
than I have experienced with any Hawk-Moth, except,
perhaps, the Privet Moth, respecting which a few
words must presently be said.

PASSING by the CONVOLVULUS HAWK-MOTH
{Sphinx convolvuli], we may pause for a while upon
the well-known PRIVET MOTH (Sphinx ligustri], so
called in honour of the plant on which the larva
feeds.

This fine Moth is really one of the commonest of
British insects, although seldom seen on account of its
nocturnal habits and the limited amount of the plant
on which it mostly feeds. The Moth itself is a very
handsome one, with a wide expanse of wings, very
prettily coloured. The upper wings are very warm
brown, mottled and clouded with dark brown ; and
the lower wings are pink, crossed by three nearly
horizontal black bands. The body is pink, banded
and striped with black. The caterpillar is a peculiarly
handsome one. It is smooth and green, and has on
each side seven diagonal stripes, the upper part of
each stripe being violet, merging rapidly into white
towards the under side.

These caterpillars feed on the common privet, and
may almost always be found in profusion where that
plant is present,

p

zio COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

WE now come to a very common and interesting
insect, well known by the popular and appropriate
name of HUMMING-BIRD MOTH {Macroglossa stella-
larum).

The colours of this insect are anything but brilliant
or - conspicuous, and yet it is a very pretty Moth.

The upper wings are brown,
with a few slight black
mottlings, and the lower
wings are warm chrome
yellow, with a narrow edg-
ing of black. Beneath, it
is coloured much like the
lower wings, but the hue is
duller. The thorax and
abdomen are of the same
colour as the upper wings, but the latter has some
black and white spots along the sides, which are
covered with tufts of black and white hair, which are
spread during flight. There is a tuft of black hair at
the end of the abdomen.

The caterpillar feeds chiefly on the Bedstraw
(Galium\ and, but for the characteristic horn at the
end of the body, would scarcely be taken for the
larva of a Hawk-Moth. Its colour is greenish brown,
sometimes taking a pink tinge, and there are two
lines along the sides, one pink and white, which
reaches to the base of the horn, and the other dull
brown, beneath the lighter line.

Sombre as is the colouring of this insect, I really
do not know any Moth which is more interesting to
the spectator. Fortunately, it flies by day, and, like

HUMMING-BIRD MOTH. 211

the lovely bird whose flight it imitates, revels in the
hottest sunshine. If, on a hot summer day, the
observer will take his stand by a jessamine or other
honey-bearing flower, and will quietly wait there, he
will assuredly see a Humming-bird Moth before long,
should the locality be one which is frequented by
this insect Suddenly, as he is watching a flower,
his eyes see a kind of shadowy form flitting in front
of the flowers, and his ears are greeted by the hum
which accompanies the flight of the Moth. Let him
but lift a hand, and the creature is gone — how, or
where, it is impossible to say, so amazingly swift is
the darting flight.

Stillj though it be gone, it will come back again if
no movement be made, and, in the same mysterious
manner, the Moth is again hovering in front of the
flowers. Presently, it selects one of them, and poising
itself within an inch or so of the blossom, its body
becomes visible, while its rapidly vibrating wings
look like two grey patches of mist on the sides of the
motionless body. Presently, a wonderfully long and
slender tongue is thrust from the head, plunged deeply
into the recesses of the flower, and, thus suspended in
mid-air, the insect takes its sweet repast It is a very
remarkable fact that the Humming-birds themselves
feed in precisely the same manner.

The enormously long proboscis or tongue, with
which it extracts the liquid sweets from the flowers,
has obtained for the genus to which this and a few
other insects belong, the name of Macroglossa, or
Long-tongue.

p 2

212 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

THE next family is that of the Sesiadse, or Clear-
wings, the members of which have a wonderful resem-
blance to certain bees, wasps, and flies, their wings
being translucent, and their bodies being elongated
and narrow, quite unlike those of the preceding
insects. The antennae have no feathering, and are
very often tipped with a small tuft of hairs. The
tongue is not nearly so long as in the preceding genus,
and in most cases the end of the abdomen is tipped
with a spreading brush of hair.

OUR first example of these remarkable Moths is
the POPLAR HORNET CLEAR-WING (Sesia apiformis),
which affords one of the best examples of imitation
that I know. Only a few hours before writing this
account, I was looking over some rather neglected
drawers of insects, on the glass of which a slight layer
of dust had been allowed to accumulate. I knew that
a Hornet Clear-wing was among them, and yet the

insect twice escaped
observation, so strongly
does it resemble the
hornet both in colour
and shape.

The upper wings of
this insect are trans-
parent, with a slight
Sesia apifbrmis. yellowish tinge, and a

narrow, dark border. The head is yellow, and there
is a yellow patch on either side of the brown thorax.
The abdomen is yellow, with a broad dark-brown
band near the middle, and a very narrow band of a

CLEAR- WINGS. 2 1 3

similar colour nearer the base. The legs are orange-
yellow. In fact, the colouring of this Moth is almost
identical with that of the hornet, the peculiar rich, warm
brown of the markings and the yellow of the ground
colour being almost exactly identical in both insects.

The caterpillar of this Moth burrows into the
wood of the poplar and aspen, and in its tunnel
undergoes all its changes. When the larva is full-fed,
it spins for itself a rather tough cocoon, made of small
fragments of wood bound together with silk, and the
Moth emerges about midsummer. The larva of this
species passes two years in the tree before it changes
to the pupal state.

The commonest insect of this genus is the Currant
Clear-wing (Sesia tipuliformis), which may be found
in the summer-time resting on the leaves of the
currant. It bears a remarkable resemblance to a
gnat, whence the name tipuliformis, i.e., formed like a
gnat. There are two longitudinal yellow streaks on
the thorax, and three bars of the same hue across the
body.

The larva of this Moth lives inside the twigs and
young branches of the currant, from which it bores
out the pith, and often kills the branch. Indeed,
whenever a bough of the currant begins to wither
away without any perceptible cause, a larva of this
Moth may generally be found within it.

THE family of the Zeuzeridae is remarkable for
the fact that the females are furnished with a long
and hard ovipositor, by means of which they can
introduce their eggs beneath the bark of the trees on

214

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

which the caterpillars feed. The tongue and antennae
are short, and the larva is naked, with the exception
of a few scattered hairs. There is a peculiarity in the
chrysalis, which will presently be described.

A very characteristic example of this family is
depicted below, the insect being popularly and appro-
priately called WOOD LEOPARD MOTH (Zeuzera
czsculi}. This is a very pretty moth, though the
colours .are simply white and black, The white.

Zeuzera sesculi (female).

however, is partially translucent, and the black is in
reality the very deepest blue-green. The figure
represents the female. The male is coloured in a
similar manner, but his antennae are boldly curved,
and adorned for the first half of their length with a
deep double comb.

The caterpillar of the Wood Leopard very much
resembles the perfect insect in markings, the green
colour being white and the spots shining black.
Behind the head is a large black plate. This cater-
pillar burrows into the limbs of many trees, especially
fruit trees, bat appears to do little if any harm to
them. Indeed, Mr. Newman states that fruit trees

WOOD LEOPARD. 215

which are pierced by this larva bear even more abun-
dantly than those which are untouched by it.

The perfect insect appears in the middle of
summer, and is a common insect, though it will
seldom be found except by persons who know where
and when to look for it. The female mostly remains
near the tree in which she was bred, and may be
found at night clinging to the trunk, where she can
be detected by the aid of a lantern. The male is
much bolder, and flies abroad in search of his mate.
He is one of the many Moths that fly towards a
light, and can often be taken by the simple process of
putting a lamp near an open window. Many entomo-
logists have made quite valuable collections of insects
by this simple plan.

There is a peculiarity in the structure of the chry-
salis of this and other Moths of the family. Each
segment is furnished on its edges with a row of little
hooks by means of which it can traverse its tunnel
nearly as fast as it could while in the caterpillar
state. As the pupae of the Lepidoptera generally
are quiescent, and few can do more than jerk the tail
from side to side when irritated, it is rather startling
to see a chrysalis wriggle itself up and down the
burrow which it has made while in the caterpillar state.

\YE now come to the GOAT MOTH (Cossus ligni-
perda], so-called on account of the very strong odour
which is given out by the larva, and bears some resem-
blance to the powerful scent of the he-goat. A figure
of this insect will be found on page 216.

The colour of this Moth is nothing more than

216

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

brown of different shades, arranged as shown in the
illustration. As far as the perfect insect goes, there
is but little interest about it, but in the larval condition
it is peculiarly interesting, were it only for the fact
that everything which can do harm contains within
itself an element of interest. We will rapidly trace
the life of the Goat Moth, from the deposition of the
egg to the development of the perfect insect.

It has already been mentioned that the female

Cossus ligniperda.

Moths of this family possess a long ovipositor. With
this instrument the female Goat Moth carefully lodges
her eggs deeply in the crevices of the bark of some
tree, and there leaves them. In process of time they
are hatched, and, tiny as they are, soon are able to
bore their way into the tree. They spend four years
in the body of the tree, apparently never ceasing to
eat, and boring their tunnels through and through
the solid wood. These tunnels increase in size

GOAT MOTH. 217

according to the development of the caterpillar, and,
as a great number of larvae generally inhabit one tree,
it is no wonder that so many trees are killed by them.

The number of these destructive creatures that
are found in one tree may be imagined from an
experiment made by Mr. Douglas. He found an elm
lying on the ground, having been blown down in
consequence of the galleries of the Goat Moth cater-
pillar weakening the trunk so much that it could not
endure the wind. He cut off a piece of the trunk two
feet long, and twenty-three inches in diameter at one
end and fifteen at the other. Wishing to place it in a
vessel sixteen inches in diameter, he was obliged to
cut it to the required size, and in so doing turned out
no less than sixty-seven caterpillars, while the re-
mainder of the block was equally well stocked with
these larvae.

The caterpillar is a very curious looking creature,
and is well worthy of a somewhat detailed examina-
tion. The skin is very smooth and shining, and
without hairs, except some stiff bristles which project
from each segment. These bristles are not conspicu-
ous to the eye, but are at once detected by the touch.
The colour is pale mahogany, except the head and a
hard plate on the second segment, which are black. The
body is rather flattened, the head is wedge-shaped, and
furnished with very powerful jaws. When full-grown
the caterpillar exceeds three inches in length, and is as
thick as a man's finger. The strength of a full-grown
larva is enormous, and its powers of forcing its way out
of the vessel in which it is confined must be seen to be
appreciated. I have kept many of these larvae, and

218 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

never felt sure of them. They were continually
escaping. Putting them into a wooden box was quite
useless, as they ate their way through the side in a
very short time. Putting them in a tin box was
equally useless unless the cover were tied down, for
they had a way of pushing at the lid round the edges,
and so gradually opening it sufficiently to permit their
escape. Even perforated zinc is not safe from them,
for I have known my caterpillars to find out a place
where the zinc has been cracked, fix their short and
powerful jaws in the holes, and fairly twist down a
flap through which they managed to force themselves.

When the larva is full-fed it forms a cocoon made
of fragments of gnawed wood and silk. The cocoon
is very tough, and will withstand much rough hand-
ling. These cocoons are oval, similar in shape at
both ends, flexible, and yellow in colour, and are very
strongly scented with the odour of the insect which
made them. There is considerable variety in the size
of the cocoons, and some are barely half as large as
others. The small cocoons seem never to produce
Moths, but are infested by an ichneumon-fly, which,
fortunately for us, preys on the Goat Moth caterpillar.
Not that the large cocoons are free from this parasite,
for, as every one knows who has bred them, the large
cocoons frequently disappoint the collector, and pro-
duce ichneumons instead of Moths. It is a curious
fact that the ichneumon itself (Lampronota setosd}
possesses an odour similar to that of the larva in
which it lays its eggs.

After the larva has lain in its cocoon for some
time, it discharges from its mouth a fluid which is

A LOCOMOTIVE PUPA. 219

contained in two large sacs within the body, and
softens the silk so that it can be easily broken. It
then throws off the caterpillar skin and becomes a
chrysalis, which is at first white and soft, but after-
wards hard and brown. The edges of the segments
are furnished with little points directed backwards,
and by alternately stretching and contracting the
abdomen, the pupa forces itself along its larval tunnel
until it comes to the end. Just before the final trans-
formation the pupa renews its efforts, and fairly
pushes itself through the thin shell of bark that has
been allowed to remain by the larva.

It still continues to push its way on until it has
forced itself through the opening, as far as the base of
the abdomen. After a while the pupal skin splits,
and the Moth emerges slowly, climbing up the bark
of the tree, and there clinging while it shakes out its
wings. The empty pupa skin remains at the entrance
of the tunnel, and towards the middle or end of
summer, according to the season, plenty of these
empty shells may be found projecting from trees that
are infested with the Goat Moth larva. The Moth
itself can generally be captured upon the bark of the
tree in which it has passed its pupal state.

The willow is the tree that is usually infested by
this insect, and vast damage is often done by it.
Other trees, however, are attacked by this destructive
insect, especially the elm, and Mr. Newman is of
opinion that those trees which are apparently killed
by the Scolytus have received their death-blow from
the Goat Moth, and have only been attacked by the
Scolytus when dying.

220 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

IN the illustration accompanying this description
may be seen a common and very pretty Moth belong-
ing to the family Zygaenidae.
The insects belonging to this
family may be distinguished
by their very brilliant and
boldly contrasted colours,
their habit of flying by day,
the stout and hairy caterpillar,

Anthrocera filipendulae. _ . .

and the cocoon fastened in an

upright position against the stems of grasses. Only
one genus inhabits England. The Moth which is
given in the illustration is called scientifically Zygcena
or Anthrocera filipendulce, and is popularly known as
the SIX-SPOTTED BURNET. There are several species
of Burnet Moth, the greater number of which are so
much alike that none but a practised entomologist
can distinguish them, especially as the spots, from the
number of which they derive their popular name, are
almost precisely similar. This very beautiful insect
has the upper wings of the deepest possible green, so
deep indeed as to appear black unless the light be
properly thrown upon it. The lower wings are rich
crimson, edged with black. The peculiar form of the
antennae is so well shown in the illustration as to need
no description.

PASSING of necessity over many Moths, we come
to an insect which is both pretty and interesting.
This is the CINNABAR MOTH (Callimorpha Jacobece),
which is represented in the accompanying woodcut. It
is an example of the family Euchelidae, in which the

TIGER MOTH. 221

antennae are slender and without any fringe. The
caterpillar spins a slight web, in which its hairs are
scattered, and the pupa is small. The name Euchelidae
is formed from two Greek words, .signifying Beautiful
Caterpillar, and is given to the genus because the
larvae are all very beautifully coloured.

The colouring of the Cinnabar Moth is very bold,
and is easily described. The upper wings are very
deep olive-brown, looking almost black by the contrast
with the brilliant crimson stripe near the costal margin,
and the two crimson spots near the hind margin. The
lower wings are wholly
crimson, slightly paler
than that on the upper
wings, and are edged
with a narrow border of
olive-brown. It is re-
markable that the Upper Callimorpha Jacobean

and under surfaces of this insect are exactly alike,
except that the under surface is slightly paler than the
upper. The popular name of Cinnabar Moth is given
to the insect on account of the cinnabar-crimson colour
of its wings.

ANOTHER family now comes before us — the
Chelonidae, popularly known as Tiger Moths. They
have the antennae more or less deeply fringed in the
male, and the caterpillar is very hairy, coiling itself
into a ring when alarmed. Before it changes into the
pupal state, it spins a very loose web mixed profusely
with its hairs.

The best known of these insects is the COMMON

222 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

TlGER MOTH (CJielonia or Arctia cajd], so called on
account of the bold cream and black markings of its
upper wings. The lower wings are red, with some
large black spots glossed with blue. The body is red,
barred with black. This is a most variable insect, the
number, size, shape, and tint differing in a most be-
wildering manner. But however variable it may be,
there is never any possibility of mistaking it.

It is one of the commonest of British insects, and
towards the end of summer the Moth is quite plentiful.
It is wonderfully quick of foot, and, as it runs with
closed wings among the herbage, has a most curious
resemblance to a small mouse.

The larva is covered with long, brown, stiff hairs,
and is popularly known by the name of the Woolly
Bear. It feeds principally on the common dead nettle,
but is not in the least particular as to its food, and,
being very hardy, is an admirable subject for experi-
ments in Moth-breeding.

PASSING by one or two well-known insects for
which we have no space, such as the Ermines, the
Brown-tail, the Golden-tail, the Gipsy, we come to
that interesting insect, the common VAPOURER MOTH
(Orgyia antiqita}, the male of which is represented in
the accompanying woodcut.

This is rather a pretty Moth, though the colours
are anything but brilliant. The wings are warm
chestnut, the upper pair having some waved transverse
marks, as shown in the illustration, and a bold nearly
semilunar white spot at the anal angle.

He is very common, and is one of the few Lepi-

VAPOURER MOTH. 223

doptera — except perhaps the Clothes-Moth, which is

more plentiful than desired — that is abundant in

London, and may be found

even in the dingiest and smokiest

portions, provided that trees or

shrubs grow in it. He is one of

the day-flying moths, and seems

tO revel in the blazing SUn- Orgyiaantiqua.male.

beams, flitting about with rapid, and apparently un-
certain wing, upon the hottest days of summer.

There is, however, nothing uncertain about his
flight, for he has a very definite object, namely, to
seek a mate. Considering the kind of creature she is,
and her peculiar habits, one is led to marvel, in the
first place, how the active, prettily-coloured male
Vapourer can find anything attractive in the female,
who is about as plain — not to say, plebeian -an insect
as can well be imagined. Indeed, a less attractive
and more commonplace creature can hardly be seen.
She has no wings to speak of, these organs being
quite undeveloped and simply rudimentary, so that
she could not fly one single inch. Her body is large,
thick, soft, and covered with grey down, slightly
darker at the edge of each segment.

This curious creature never wanders from the
spot where she happens to have passed into the pupal
state. Like the male, she has, when a full-fed cater-
pillar, spun a silken web, within which she has under-
gone her transformation.

The male has done the same, but when he has
assumed the perfect form, he shakes out his pretty
wings, takes to the air, and gaily sets out, like ' Ccelebs/

224

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

in search of a wife. She, on the other hand, never
travels at all. Where she was reared, there she lives,
there she is mated, there she provides a fresh brood,
and there she dies, fulfilling the duties of her life within
very narrow bounds. Her eggs are laid upon the silken
web which she herself spun as a caterpillar, and from
those eggs are hatched a brood of tiny larvae, each of
which is intended to follow in the track of its parents.
So plentiful are these egg-groups that, were it not
for the presence of sundry little birds, which find
much of their winter's nourishment in the eggs of
various Lepidoptera, we should
be soon overrun with Vapourer
Moths, and our trees and
hedges would suffer sadly. The
female Moths themselves, being
utterly unable to escape, and
not seeming able even to crawl
beyond the limits of the pupal
web, also fall victims to the
birds in no small number.

The caterpillar is shown
herewith, and is a very pretty
one. Its colours are exceed-
ingly variable, but it is always furnished with a brush-
like tuft of yellow hairs on the back of the fifth,
sixth, seventh, and eighth segments, two long black
tufts on the second segment, directed forwards, and
a single similar tuft on the last segment but one,
directed backwards. There is scarcely a tree or shrub
on which this strange-looking caterpillar will not
feed.

Orgyia antiqua, larva.

OAK-EGGAR. 225

The well-known OAK-EGGAR MOTH (Bombyx or
Lasiocampa querciis] belongs to another family, the
Bombycidae, in which the caterpillars are mostly hairy,
the pupa smooth, and the perfect insect large and
stout-bodied, and coloured with various shades of
brown or grey. The smooth pupa at once distinguishes
this insect from the last.

Although the colours of this insect are not brilliant,
the Moth is a very handsome one, the simple colouring
of its wings being well contrasted. The male has the
wings rich warm chestnut, and across each of them is
drawn a slightly waved yellowish band. Rather to-
wards the base of the disc there is a white spot very
clearly marked. His antennae are deeply and doubly
feathered. The female is much larger, but not nearly
so handsome, the colour being mostly yellow, with the
band pale and undefined.

The chief interest of this moth lies in its prepara-
tory stages. The caterpillar is a very fine one, and
remarkable for its change in appearance when it bends
its body. The ground colour of this larva is deep
velvety-black, very thickly covered with rich brown
hairs. When the caterpillar is straight it appears to be
uniformly brown, but when it curves the body, the
velvet-black appears between the segments and gives
a very bold and effective appearance to the hitherto
plain caterpillar. There are other marks, but these
velvet rings are amply sufficient for identification.

It is very plentiful in some places, and though it is
a very general feeder, eating almost every non-poison-
ous herb or leaf that may be given to it, the larva has
fancies of its own and prefers one place to another,

Q

226 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

though apparently both localities are exactly alike in
every respect.

When full-fed, the caterpillar spins a cocoon of
wonderful toughness and strength. It is shaped very
much like an egg (whence the popular name of Oak-
eggar), and is brown and very close in texture. About
the end of summer or beginning of autumn, the Moth
breaks its way through the cocoon and appears in the
perfect state. It mostly flies at night, but I have seen
it on the wing at mid-day.

OUR last example of the Nocturni is the beautiful
EMPEROR MOTH (Saturnia carpini or pavonia-minor).

Saturnia carpini (female).

The general appearance of both sexes is very similar,
except that the colours of the male are much more
brilliant than those of the female. The colour and
markings are so conspicuous that there is no necessity
for very minute detail. The wings are pearly-grey,
mottled and striped with brown, dark-grey, and
chestnut. On each of the wings there is an eye-like
spot, black in the middle, and surrounded with con-
secutive rings of warm buff and black, variegated with
dark-crimson and violet.

EMPEROR MOTH. 227

The male has the upper wings of deeper and richer
hues than those of his mate, and the under wings are
warm ochreous orange, mottled and striped as in the
female. The eye-like spots are similar in both sexes.
The male is also distinguished by the antennae, which
are shorter than those of the female, and have a beau-
tiful double feathering, widest in the middle, and de-
creasing towards the base and tip, so as to give the
whole organ an outline much resembling that of the
laurel leaf.

The caterpillar is quite as conspicuous as the perfect
insect. It is beautiful leafy-green in colour, and the
segments are marked so very distinctly that they look
as if a number of threads had been tied tightly round
the insect at the junctures of the segments. On each
segment are a number of pink tubercles, each tubercle
bearing a small brush of black bristles, and being sur-
rounded with a ring of black. It feeds on a variety of
plants, but I have found it more frequently on heath
than on any other plant.

When it is full-fed, the larva spins a light-brown
cocoon among its food, and the perfect insect appears
in the middle of spring.

This cocoon is one of the most remarkable and
interesting of insect habitations. Externally it is a
simple brown, oval structure, more pointed at one end
than the other, and having an outline much resembling
that of a balloon. If it be carefully opened, and cut
in two longitudinally, a most remarkable structure is
seen. The smaller and pointed end is double, and
within the outer case is a ring of short and stiff threads,

Q 2

228 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

looking much like bristles, their free ends directed to-
wards the mouth of the cocoon, which is allowed to
remain open. As these bristle -like threads follow the
curve of the wall of the cocoon, it is evident that their
ends must converge so as to close the opening against
the entry of any insect foe, while they yield to the pres-
sure of any creature within.

In consequence of this arrangement, the pupa re-
mains securely shut up in its habitation, and, when the
time comes for its assumption of the perfect state, the
newly developed Moth creeps easily out of the cocoon,
the guardian threads of which yield to its passage, and
then close again, so that to all appearance the cocoon
looks just as it did when it contained the chrysalis. As
the caterpillar is a tolerably hardy one, there is no
difficulty in obtaining the beautiful cocoons.

229

CHAPTER III.

GEOMETRY

THE large and important group of GEOMETRY, or
LOOPERS, now come before us. These appropriate
terms are applied to the Moths on account of the mode
of progression adopted by the larva. The caterpillars
are so constructed that they cannot walk after the
usual fashion of such beings. The reader will re-
member that the caterpillars hitherto mentioned have a
number of false legs, or claspers arranged on the under
side of the body, in addition to the six true legs which
are situated on that part of the body which will after-
wards become the thorax of the perfect insect. Most
caterpillars have five pairs of these claspers, but the
Geometra larvae have only two pairs, which are set
closely together at the very end of the body. The
caterpillar is therefore obliged to adopt a peculiar mode
of progression.

When it wishes to move, it clings very firmly with
its true legs, loosens the grasp of its claspers, and draws
them close to the legs, so that its body is brought into
an arch or loop. The claspers then fix themselves
tightly to the object on which the caterpillar is moving,
and the body is stretched out in order to find a fresh

230 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

foothold for the legs. Thus, the caterpillar proceeds
by bringing its body into the loop-like form and
stretching it out for another hold. This may seem an
awkward mode of progression, but it is nothing of
the kind. There is even a sort of grace about the
movement, and the caterpillar gets along at a wonderful
pace, forming its successive loops with a rapidity that
seems almost incredible.

The muscular strength of these caterpillars is
wonderful. Most of us have seen acrobats fix their
feet to an upright pole, or grasp it with their hands,
and stretch out their bodies horizontally. This atti-
tude requires great muscular powers very carefully ap-
plied, as those readers well know who have practically
studied gymnastics. The leverage is so great that the
strongest and most accomplished gymnast cannot
maintain his position for any length of time, the atti-
tude requiring the strongest possible strain on the
muscles. Yet this attitude is not only easy to the
Geometrae, but appears in some cases to be the chosen
attitude of rest.

Several of these larvae pass a large portion of their
time stretched out at full length from the twig on
which they are clinging. In this attitude they so
exactly resemble twigs, that the sharpest eye can
scarcely detect them, and even the most experienced
entomologists are often deceived, taking veritable
twigs for caterpillars, and caterpillars for twigs. None
of the caterpillars are hairy, and their smooth bodies,
often furnished with blunt spikes or humps, bear the
most curious resemblance to the smooth-barked, bud-
bearing twigs of the trees on which they live. Such

LOOPING CATERPILLARS. 231

caterpillars can be at once recognised as belonging
to the Geometrae, and every entomologist knows that
if he should find a looping caterpillar, and rear it, the
result will certainly be a Geometra Moth of some
kind.

In the perfect state it is not so easy to distin-
guish the Geometrae, though there is a certain and
almost indescribable aspect about them that a prac-
tised entomologist rarely fails to detect, even though
the species be new to him. We will now proceed to
examine some of the most characteristic of these
Moths in detail.

THE first family of the Geometrae is called Ur-
apterydae, or Wing-tail Moths, because in them the
hinder wings are drawn out into long projections,
popularly called ' tails.' In England we have but one
insect belonging to this family, the beautiful, though
pale-coloured, S WALLOW-TAILED MOTH (Urapteryx
sambucata). The generic name is spelt in various
ways, some writers wishing exactly to represent the
Greek letters of which it is composed, and others
following the conventional form which is generally in
use. If the precisians are to be followed, the word
ought to be spelled Ourapteryx.

There is no difficulty in recognising this Moth,
the colour and shape being so decided. Both pairs of
wings are delicate yellow, and the upper pair are
crossed by two narrow brown stripes, which run from
the upper to the lower margin. These stripes are
very clear and well-defined, but besides there are a
vast number of very tiny streaks of a similar colour,

232 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

which look as if they had been drawn in water-colours
with the very finest of brushes, and then damped so
as to blur their edges. The hind wings have only
one streak, which runs obliquely towards the anal
angle, and, when the wings are spread, looks as if it
were a continuation of the first stripe on the upper
wings. The shape of the Moth almost exactly re-
sembles that of the Brimstone Butterfly.

The perfect insect appears about July, and can be
beaten out of bushes and hedges. Though the wings
are large, they are thin and not very powerful, so that
there is no difficulty in capturing the insect.

NEXT comes the family of the Ennomidae, popu-
larly called the Thorns, containing nearly thirty
species, a typical example of which we will select for
examination. In this family the hind wings are not
tailed. Our first example is the BRIMSTONE MOTH
(Rumia cratcegata), which is shown beneath.

This very plentiful Moth is of a bright sulphur
yellow, -with a few irregular streaks, and several ruddy

chestnut spots on the edge
of the upper wings.

The caterpillar has three
humps, and possesses four
pairs of claspers instead of
umia cratagata. \v o. The first and second

pairs are, however, not used for progression. The
larva feeds both on the blackthorn and whitethorn,
and when full-fed spins a thick cocoon close to the
ground, and sometimes on it. The Moth may be
found throughout the summer, as may the caterpillar.

MAGPIE MOTH. 233

PASSING, of necessity, over many of the Geometrae,
we come to that very familiar insect, the CURRANT
MOTH (Abraxas grossulariata}. In consequence of its
boldly contrasted markings, it is sometimes called the
MAGPIE MOTH.

This is invariably one of the first Moths of the
young collector's cabinet, and its larva is perhaps the
best known of the Geometrae.

The colour of the wings is white, with a yellow
patch at the base of the upper wings, and a rather
curved band of a similar colour rather beyond the
middle. Upon both wings are a number of deep
black spots and blotches, varying greatly in different
specimens. Sometimes the black spots are so large
that they unite with each other, and make the Moth
look as if it were black and yellow. Sometimes the
reverse takes place, and the insect is almost entirely
white and yellow, with a few pale and uncertain
markings of a darker colour, while in many specimens
there is a decided preponderance either of the light or
the dark portions of the wings. The antennae of the
female are thread-like, and those of the male very
slightly, but decidedly, feathered.

This Moth is one of the partial day-fliers, and may
be captured in any numbers in gardens where the
gooseberry or black-currant is grown. The insect is
a very bold one, and while it is engaged in depositing
its eggs, may be picked up with the fingers without
much difficulty.

The larva is coloured very much like the perfect
insect. Being so common, I have been accustomed
to watch it from childhood, and have much to say on

234 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

the subject. But Mr. Newman has so completely
made it his own that I can do no better than give his
own spirited words.

' I have seen the females of this species busily
engaged in oviposition, not only in the evening, but
in the middle of a warm summer's day, depositing a
single egg on a leaf of gooseberry or black-currant,
and then flying off to another. I once watched ten
females simultaneously occupied in this manner along
a garden wall less than eighty yards in length.

* Like the eggs of most diurnal Lepidoptera, they
remain but a short time before hatching. The young
caterpillar feeds for two, three, or four weeks, rarely
longer, and then spins together the edges of a goose-
berry leaf, having first taken the precaution of making
the leaf fast to its twig by numerous silken cables,,
which prevent the possibility of its falling when dehi-
scence takes place in the autumn. In the little cradle
thus fabricated the infant caterpillar sleeps as securely
as the sailor in his hammock. Snow-storms and
wintry winds are matters of indifference to him, but
no sooner have the gooseberry bushes begun to
assume their livery of green in the spring, than
instinct informs him that food is preparirig to satisfy
his appetite, so he cuts an opening in his pensile
cradle, emerges, and begins to eat.

'The full-fed caterpillar commonly rests in a
straight posture, lying parallel with the branch ; but
when annoyed, he elevates his back, and tucks in his
head until it is brought into contact with the abdo-
minal claspers. If the annoyance be continued, he
drops from his food, hanging by a thread, and rarely

WINTER MOTH. 235

falling to the ground ; but when this is the case, he is
bent double, and remains a long time in that posture.'

In spite of the very conspicuous colouring of this
caterpillar, it is not eaten by birds, seeming to be dis-
tasteful to them. It is also distasteful to toads. If
one of these larvae be placed before a toad, it will be
snapped up as soon as it moves, but will at once be
rejected, the toad moving off as if disgusted with a
creature on which it hoped to feed. The colour of
this larva is creamy white, spotted and striped with
orange, and having a number of bold black spots and
stripes, as seen in the illustration.

The pupa is smooth and black, with a slight tinge
of red, banded with yellow, so that the caterpillar, the
pupa, and the perfect insect have all the same colour-
ing. The Moth appears in the middle of summer.

QUIET and simple-looking as is the WINTER
MOTH (CJieimatobia brumata), wrhich is represented in
the accompanying illustration, there are few of our
British insects which do more harm to the trees, espe-
cially the fruit-trees.

The colour of the upper wings is greyish-brown,
more or less tinged with yellow, and marked with a
few waved transverse bars of a darker tint. The
lower wings are much the same colour, but almost
without markings. Owing to its peculiar habits, this
is one of our most familiar Moths. It appears in the
cold months of November and December, and on a
sunshiny day may be seen flitting along the hedges
in perfect content, even though the ground be thickly
covered with snow.

236 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

The female, though really the more important of

the two, is seldom noticed. Her wings are mere

rudiments, and she is unable

*9|BBfe^^tf^^H^^ to fly. She only appears at
night, when she crawls up the
stems of trees for the purpose
of depositing her eggs upon
them. When the little cater-
pillars are hatched, they make their way to the un-
opened buds and burrow into them, thus at the same
time concealing themselves from sight, and doing all
the harm of which so tiny a creature is capable. It is
in search of these caterpillars that the small birds,
more especially the bullfinch and chaffinch, pick off
and devour the buds of fruit-trees. It is true that
they do not restrict themselves to those buds which
contain caterpillars, but that they act rather at ran-
dom, picking off a bud first, and afterwards looking
to see whether or not it contains a caterpillar. Still,
the good that they do very much counterbalances the
harm, and the little birds should be allowed to have
their own way with the fruit-trees. The late Mr.
Waterton would never allow a single little bird ever
to be scared from his trees, much less killed, and I
never saw anywhere better prospects of heavy crops.

Various plans have been tried to exterminate
these mischievous caterpillars. Being silk-spinners,
they lower themselves by their threads when alarmed,
and, by taking advantage of this habit, the gardener
can kill great numbers of the larvae by simply tapping
the boughs so as to frighten the caterpillars from
their food. But ' prevention is better than cure/ and,

PREVENTION BETTER THAN CURE. 237

on account of the structure and habits of the female,
she can generally be prevented from depositing her
eggs. Had she wings, nothing could be done ; but as
she is wingless, and is forced to climb up the trunks
of trees before she can lay her eggs, it is mostly
possible to prevent her from doing so. If the trunks
of the trees be kept smeared with a sticky compound,
renewed as soon as it begins to harden, vast numbers
of the females can be interrupted in their march up the
tree, and detained until they are slaughtered by the
gardener.

Then, at night, the gardener should examine the
trunks of all trees by the aid of a lantern, and he will
be sure to find a number of female Winter Moths,
each desirous of depositing her stock of two hundred
eggs. I should fancy that birdlime might be useful.
A mixture of Stockholm tar and cart-grease has been
recommended ; but if I had any standard fruit-trees,
especially plums, greengages, or filberts, I should try
the efficacy of bird-lime. In this part of the country,
where cherry orchards abound, the fruit-growers paint
the trunks of the trees with whitewash mixed with
weak size. This process may or may not be effica-
cious, but there is no doubt that it is very unsightly,
making the otherwise beautiful cherry-orchard an ab-
solute eyesore.

When the caterpillar has become too large to be
contained within the bud, it turns its attention to the
young leaves, fixing its silken threads to their edges,
and drawing two or three together, so as to form a
sort of tent, in which it lives. It is not at all particular
as to the tree on which it feeds, and, although it cer-

238 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

tainly prefers fruit-trees, may be found on almost
every tree which is grown in England. The cater-
pillar is full-fed about May, and then descends to the
ground, in which it burrows to a very little depth, and
there changes to a pupa.

NEXT upon our list comes that very striking insect
called appropriately the ARGENT AND SABLE (Mela-
nippe liastata), which is shown beneath. As may be
inferred from the name, the colours of this Moth are
entirely black and white, mostly arranged as seen in
the illustration, though there is some variation in
different specimens. Even the body is black and
white, and the very antennae are black, with white
rings.

The larva is rather variable, but is generally very
dark brown, with a series of small black dots along

each side, and another row
of crescent-shaped white
marks below the spiracles,
each of which is surrounded
with a white ring. It feeds
nippe hastata. on several trees and plants,

such as the birch, and always lives in concealment,
drawing together with silk the leaves of the plant on
which it feeds, and living within this shelter. It is
full-fed towards the middle of the autumn, and the
perfect insect appears at the beginning of the follow-
ing summer.

THE last of the Geometrae scarcely looks as if it
belonged to that group. This is the common CHIM-

CHIMNE Y-S WEEPER. 239

XEV-SWEEPER (Tanagra chcerophyllata\ which is
represented herewith.

Ab may be inferred from its popular name, the
colour of this Moth is sooty-black. The fringe is
grey, except at the tip of the upper
wings, where it is snowy-white.
The larva is rather a pretty one,
being dark green with a few lines
of olive-green and light green.

r^-i , t -r, C j Tanagra choerophyllata.

1 he spiracles are red. It feeds on
the common earth-nut, or pig-nut (Bnnium flexuosuvi),
and is full-fed at the beginning of June, when it
descends into the earth and changes to the pupal
state. At the end of that month it assumes its per-
fect form, and in many localities appears in great
numbers.

240

CHAPTER IV.

PSEUDO-BOMBYCES, DREPANUL^, AND NOCTU^E.

THE two first of these groups are gathered by Mr.
Newman into one group, which are termed Cuspidates,
because the tail of the larva mostly ends in a cusp or
point. Some of the strangest caterpillars in the world
belong to this group, and we have in sober England a
number of Cuspidate larvae which may rival the most
wonderful productions of the tropics for beauty of
colour and strangeness of form, the latter being in
many cases actually grotesque.

The Pseudo-Bombyces are so called because the
Moths look at first sight as if they belonged to the
true Bombyces. The structure and habits of the
caterpillar, however, show that these Moths are very
rightly placed in a separate group.

The first family is the Dicranuridae, so 'called on
account of the structure of the larva. The name is
formed from two Greek words, signifying Double-
tailed, and is given to these insects because the tail of .
the larva is very deeply cleft, so as, in fact, to resemble
two distinct tails.

The first of these insects is the common PUSS
MOTH (Dicranura vinula).

PUSS CATERPILLAR. 241

This insect affords another example of the effect
which can be got out of simple black and white. The
upper wings are soft greyish-white and rounded at
the tips, and have a peculiar softness in their general
aspect. Most of the larger nervures are without
scales, and show themselves conspicuously, but at the
branches they are thickly covered with black scales.
These wings are traversed by bold markings in black
and dark grey, as seen in the illustration. The lower

Dicranura vinula.

wings are white at the base, deepening to blackish
grey towards the margin, and having a few dark spots
on the fringe. The large thorax is covered with long,
soft down of a snowy- white colour, diversified with
eight very black spots, so that it strongly reminds the
observer of minever. The head is also white, and is
held so much under the thorax that, when the creature
is at rest, the head is quite invisible, and nothing can
be seen but the ends of the antennae, which are laid
along either side of the thorax.

The caterpillar of this pretty Moth affords a
singular example of grotesque form and beautiful
colouring. The head is flat, and, when the creature
is at rest, is drawn back into the second segment.

R

242 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

The fourth segment is produced into a large and
pointed hump, and from the ninth segment the body
tapers to the end. Here are developed two rough
horn-like projections, from each of which can be
protruded a horny pink filament, which seems to be
employed as a weapon. It has been suggested that
these appendages are used for the purpose of driving
away ichneumon-flies when they settle on the body
in the hope of depositing their eggs. Whether this
theory be correct or not is undetermined, but the
caterpillar certainly does protrude them when irritated.
The larva has another weapon, if it may be so called.
Below the head there is a transverse slit about the
sixth of an inch in length. When the creature is
alarmed or angered, from this aperture is ejected a
fluid of an acrid character, which may probably have
some injurious or deterrent effect upon the enemies of
the Puss Moth larva.

The colour of this caterpillar is singularly beau-
tiful— leaf-green on the sides and whitish above, with
some stripes of purple brown. Between these two
colours a white stripe runs from the side of the head
to the tip of the hump, and then passes to the base of
the double tail. The stripes are so arranged that
when the larva is viewed from above, they appear
something like the capital letter X- In some speci-
mens, though not in all, there is a large purple patch
on the eighth segment.

This larva feeds both on the willow and poplar,
and, being very hardy, is easily reared throughout its
changes. When full-fed, which takes place about the
end of May, it leaves its food, crawls down the trunk
of the tree, and creeps into some convenient crevice of

BUFF-TIP. 243

the bark. In this refuge it forms a cocoon made of
small chips of the bark fastened together with silk,
and of wonderful strength. The cocoon, indeed, is
mostly constructed of silk, the bark chips merely being
added to it in order to make it agree in appearance
with the trunk of the tree. Moisture does not soften
this silken secretion, though air hardens it, and the
consequence is that after exposure to the atmosphere,
the cocoon becomes as hard as if made of horn, so
that the inmate is safe from nearly all enemies ; while
the exact similitude between the surface of the cocoon
and the bark of the tree renders it almost incapable ot
discovery.

The caterpillar is full-fed about midsummer, and,
passing the winter in its chrysalis state, is developed
into the Moth in the following June.

THE very common and really handsome Moth,
the BUFF-TIP {Pygcera bucephald) is drawn in the ac-

Pygaera bucephala.

companying woodcut. The figure represents a male
with its wings spread.

The upper wings of this Moth are beautifully

R 2

244 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

coloured with various shades of grey, crossed with
bars and bands of different browns, mixed here and
there with ochreous yellow, and taking a slight
purplish gloss along the costal margin. At the tip of
each wing is a large buff blotch, marked off from the
rest of the wing by two dark-brown lines enclosing a
grey line between them. The buff blotch has on it
a few markings of deeper hue. The hind wings are
paler greyish ochre, and the whole of the under surface
is of the same colour, with the exception of a dark bar
crossing the lower wings diagonally, and a dark hind
margin to the upper wings. The thorax is large,
covered with dense, gold-coloured down, and nearly
conceals the head.

When at rest, this Moth presents a very curious
aspect. The wings are pressed against the body
which they cover, the two yellow spots at their tips
exactly balancing at one end the yellow thorax at
the other. The large thorax itself looks very much
like a head, and on that account the specific name of
bucephala, or * bull-headed/ has been given to the
insect. In consequence of the peculiar aspect of the
quiescent attitude, the Buff-tip Moth often escapes
observation, as most persons would mistake it for a
piece of dried stick.

The caterpillar feeds upon the lime, the elm, the
hazel, and one or two other trees, and often does
considerable damage. It is semi-social in its habits,
and, though plentiful, is not often seen until full-fed,
in consequence of its peculiar, idiosyncrasies. The
eggs are laid in batches, sometimes as many as sixty
in number, on the upper part of a leaf, and when

PROMINENTS. 245

hatched, the little caterpillars belonging to each brood
remain together, and feed on the upper surface of the
leaf. After their first change of skin, they break up
into six or seven small companies, and each company
remains together until the change into the pupal state
is at hand. As they become larger they make their
way to the topmost branches, where they work great
havoc among the leaves, often leaving bough after
bough completely denuded of foliage.

The colour of the caterpillar is yellow, covered
with a number of short longitudinal black bars
arranged in nine rows. The pupa is remarkable for
the doubly forked apparatus at the end of the tail.

NEXT comes a family of Moths called Notodontidae,
or Tooth-backs, because the backs or inner margins
of the upper wings are toothed, or have elevated-
portions along the inner margins, from which they
derive the popular na"me of Prominents. As an
example of these Moths we will take the IRON
PROMINENT (Notodonfa dromedarius), the male of
which is shown beneath.

The colouring of this insect is very simple. The
ground hue is brown, with a slight purplish tinge,
upon which is a broad
rust-red streak and two
small pale bars, ar-
ranged as seen in the
illustration. The out-
lines of all the markings
are vague and indistinct, Xotodonta dromedariu

and there is considerable variation in different indivi-

246 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

duals. The lower wings are greyish brown, with a
dark spot on the disc, and two pale and ill- defined
bars.

The caterpillar is a very quaint and odd-looking
creature. The head is comparatively large, and the
second and third segments are so small as to form a
sort of neck. From the fifth to the ninth segments
the back is humped. The colour is rather pretty,
being green more or less tinged with yellow, and
marked with a very deep purple-brown. There are
other markings, but the shape of the larva is so
peculiar that minute detail is not needed for its
identification.

This caterpillar may be found on the birch, where
it remains until full-fed, an event which takes place
somewhere about the end of September. It then
descends the tree, and beneath it spins for itself a
slight cocoon, which is generally screened from
observation by having a fallen leaf fastened to its
upper surface. In this exposed situation it changes
into a pupa, and there lies until the following June,
when it assumes the perfect form. The insect is, and
yet is not, a common one. Those entomologists who
have not yet learned to look behind the scenes of
Nature's theatre reckon the Iron Prominent to be
quite a rarity ; while those who have been long
accustomed to the practical study of insects and their
ways, experience no great difficulty in obtaining either
the moth, the pupa, or the caterpillar, and in con-
sequence consider the Iron Prominent as rather a
plentiful insect.

NOCTU^E. 247

\YE now come to one of the largest groups of
British Moths, the NOCTU^, so called because, as a
rule, they are exclusively night-fliers, and never, except
by accident, appear in the day-time. In these Moths
the body is almost always stout and thick, as is the
thorax, the hairs of which often rise nearly erect, so as
to form a sort of crest. Generally these Moths hide
themselves by day, taking advantage of crevices in
walls, the bark of trees, old posts, palings, and invari-
ably selecting those which best harmonise with the
colour of their closed wings. So close is often the
resemblance between the colour of the insect and that
of the object on which it rests, that even the most
experienced and keenest entomologists often find
themselves deceived, and have only detected the well-
disguised insect when, by an accidental touch, they
have forced it to take flight. Even those species
which have their under_ wings adorned with beautiful
colours, have almost invariably their upper wings
plainly mottled with brown, grey, black, and dun, so
that when they are at rest the splendid under wings
are concealed, and their glories veiled by the sombrely
tinted upper pair. Many, in fact, most of them, have
both pairs of wings coloured in the simplest and least
imposing manner, not even having any bold black,
white, or brown markings on either pair of wings.
Consequently, when a number of Noctuae, which are
of about the same size, are collected, it is a very diffi-
cult matter to refer them to their proper positions, and
even the most skilful of entomologists is forced to refer
to his books before he can, with any confidence, assign
to some sixty or a hundred Noctuse their exact names.

248 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

Most of the pupae of the Noctuas undergo their
changes beneath the surface of the ground, and the
chrysalids that are found by the collector when
( digging for pupse ' generally belong to this group of
insects.

OUR first example of the Noctuas is the pretty
PEACH-BLOSSOM MOTH (Thyatira batis], which is
represented in the accompanying illustration.

This very pretty Moth has received its popular
name in consequence of the colouring of the wings.

The upper pair are olive-
brown, decorated with four
large and conspicuous spots,
the largest being at the base
°f the- wing, and one smaller
Thyatira bads. SpQ^- on ^Q inner margin.

These spots are lovely pink in the middle, surrounded
with white, and each of them really does bear some
resemblance to the petal of a peach-blossom. A few
bars of rose-colour cross the brown thorax. The
body is brown, and has a small crest on the back of
the second, third, and fourth segments. The beautiful
pink colour of the spots is very liable to fade, unless
the insect be very carefully kept in the dark. The
Moth is tolerably common.

The larva of this insect is a very odd-looking
creature. Its colour is warm chestnut-brown mottled
with grey, and the surface has a velvety aspect. One
peculiarity in this caterpillar is that it seems to make
no use either of its true legs or of the claspers at the
end of its body, but clings to its food plant by means

CABBAGE MOTH. 249

of the claspers of the middle of the body. The largest
hump is that of the third segment, and it is furnished
at the top with a cleft projection. This curious larva
can be found on the common bramble, and is in best
condition about the end of August, or beginning of
September, when it is full-fed, and about to ' spin up.'
When it finally ceases to feed it spins a slight cocoon,
which it fastens among the leaves, changes into the
pupal state, and makes its appearance as a Moth in
the ensuing summer. This pretty Moth used to be
very plentiful about Oxford when I was collecting
there. It belongs to the family Trifidae.

WE must now pass to the only too common
CABBAGE MOTH (Mamestra brassic<z).

That this Moth subserves some good purpose is
evident from the fact of its existence, but what that
purpose may be is not easy to discover. It may,
perhaps, be useful in keeping down the too abundant
vegetation in wild and uncultivated countries, and so
may have done good service when this land was one
vast hunting-ground, and our predecessors used flint
instead of steel, and a wash of woad by way of dress.
At all events, it is very much out of place so far as
regards civilised society, and we could well spare it if
it had been improved off the face of this country, in
company with the wolf, the bear, and the beaver.

The caterpillar of this Moth is one of the most
voracious herb-feeders in this country. It can eat
almost any herb, but prefers those which belong to the
cabbage tribe. As for those which are cultivated with
solid masses of vegetation, such as the summer-cabbage

250 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

and the broccoli, this larva is terribly destructive,
burrowing through and through the very heart of the
vegetable, and leaving behind it a track or gallery,
filled with the watery juices of the plant and the ejecta
of the caterpillars.

The colour of the upper wings of this Moth is dark
greyish-brown, mottled variously with darker brown
and grey. The lower wings are paler brown, with a
smoky or blackish tint. The caterpillar is exceedingly
variable in its colours, but is generally olive-brown
above and yellow below, and on the back of each
segment is a blackish triangular mark in which are two
white dots. Sometimes the body is pale dusky-green
above and below. When full-fed it descends to the
earth, makes a shallow burrow in it, and changes to a
smooth brown chrysalis. Both the Moth and cater-
pillar are plentiful through the summer, and during
the autumn the ground may be nearly cleared of pupae
by judicious digging and hand-picking.

THE family of the Noctuidae will be represented
by two examples, the first of which is the TURNIP
MOTH (Agrotis segetunt], which is shown on page
251.

This is a small and inconspicuous Moth, but it
does far more damage than many Moths of much
larger size and more conspicuous colouring. The
larva of this insect is to turnips what that of the
last-mentioned insect is to the cabbage, and with this
difference, that whereas the Cabbage caterpillar
works above ground and may be detected by the eye,
'the Turnip caterpillar works for the most part below

TURNIP MOTH. 251

the surface of the earth, and the only evidence of its
presence is the drooping state of the plant. When
very young, it feeds upon
the leaves of the turnip and
many other plants, such, for
example, as the carrot, or
some flower, and in that stage
may be removed by hand-

* * Agrotis segetum.

picking ; but, when it grows

larger, it descends towards the earth, fixes upon the
upper portion of the root, just where it joins the stem,
and there gnaws a groove completely round the stem,
the entire plant often dying from the injury. It grows
with great rapidity, and, when about three-quarters
grown, burrows into the earth and attacks the root
itself, beginning near the bottom, burrowing deeply
into it, and gnawing large hollows in it.

These caterpillars are only too familiar to agricul-
turists. They are nearly smooth, grey-striped more
or less, and covered with little shining, round spots,
from each of which proceeds a short bristle. As a
rule, the gardener cannot mistake in killing every
brown-looking caterpillar that he finds beneath the
ground, for it is sure to be one of those beings that
make havoc among the crops, and the greater because
their ravages are carried on out of sight. It is
principally in search of these destructive caterpillars
that the rooks frequent turnip-fields. When the birds
are seen busily digging with their powerful beaks, they
are engaged in the search after the turnip caterpillar,
and not trying to eat the turnip itself.

The whole history of this Moth is a very interesting

252 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

one, but our space is diminishing so rapidly that we
must pass on to other insects.

THE LARGER YELLOW UNDERWING (Tryphcena
pronuba), which is figured herewith, is by far the most
abundant species of the genus to which it belongs.

Its upper wings are exceedingly variable in colour-
ing, but are always of some shade of brown. There
are several pale, narrow, waving bands drawn across
the wing, and on the upper part of the disc is a large
kidney-shaped black spot with a pale centre and a
chestnut outline ; there is also a small black spot near

Tryphaena pronuba.

the tip. The under wings are orange-yellow, but not
so richly coloured as in the preceding insect, and
parallel with their hind margin is a bold black stripe,
broad above and narrowing below to a point. There
is a very slight golden streak on its costal margin.
Beneath, it is remarkable for a shining golden stripe
that runs along the lower edge of the upper pair of
wings, the gold changing in some lights to prismatic
effects of green and blue.

The caterpillar is another of the nocturnal larvae.
It feeds upon the crown, stem, and heart of various

ANGLE-SHADES. 253

garden plants, especially favouring lettuces when they
are tied up to blanch. The colour of the larva is as
variable as that of the perfect insect, but is generally
some shade between olive green and brown, and on
the body are a variety of brown and black streaks.
It is a very general feeder, and there are very few garden
plants or vegetables which escape its jaws. When
full-fed, it forms a kind of rude oval cell, and therein
undergoes its transformation into the Moth. Both
the caterpillar and Moth are exceedingly common,
and may be captured in any numbers.

PASSING over a considerable number of species,
we come to an example of the Hadenidae, the familiar
ANGLE- SHADES (Phlogophora meticulosa\ which is
shown in the accompanying woodcut.

I have always felt a great predilection for this
insect, because it is one o*f the first Moths that I ever
reared. I had found
a number of pupae
in the summer, and
put them into a
small box, which I
covered with stout
wire gauze, having

, , Phlogophora meticulosa,

in those days some

hazy idea that a Moth could get through muslin or
linen. I had also made up my mind that no Moths
could emerge until the following year ; and my
astonishment was extreme on finding one morning a
fine Angle-Shades Moth clinging to the wire gauze,
and shaking out its newly-developed wings. Insigni-

254 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

ficant as is such an incident in itself, it often forms a
stand-point in life ; and such wa3 the case with this
Moth, the development of which under my own eye
inspired an interest in this branch of natural history
that has never been and never will be forgotten.

The name of Angle-Shades is given to this Moth
on account of the manner in which the wings are
coloured. The upper wings are pale grey, tinged
either with ochreous yellow or olive green. In the
middle is a bold marking, shaped much like the letter
V, and formed of several shades of brown. The
other marks of the wing are also of brown, but not
quite so dark. The edges of the hind margins of the
upper wings are deeply scalloped. The lower wings
are slightly scalloped, and are of a pale yellowish grey
and crossed by two very slight waved bands of reddish
brown. Towards the hind margins they are suffused
with a slight pinkish tint. The thorax is covered with
long hair, which in front stands out like the double ruff
of Elizabeth's time. Then comes a wedge-shaped ridge
in the middle of the thorax, and then two rather large
tufts at the back. The colour of these tufts is soft umber
brown, tipped with a darker and warmer brown.

The caterpillar varies in colour from bright green
to dark olive green or olive brown, profusely sprinkled
with whitish dots not very well defined. There are
three greyish lines along the body, and the spiracles
are white, surrounded with a black line. It feeds on
various herbs and flowers, especially groundsel and
primrose, and is full-fed about May, when it seeks the
ground, and there spins a very slight cocoon. There
are two broods of this pretty Moth — one towards the
end of May, and the other at the end of autumn.

BURNISHED BRASS. 255

The specific name meticulosa signifies fearful or
timorous, but I never could find out the reason for
giving such a name to the insect. The Angle-Shades
is not a whit more timorous than Moths in general,
and though it has no distinctive boldness, it certainly
has no distinctive timidity.

ACCOMPANYING this description will be found a
representation of the Moth which is appropriately
called the BURNISHED BRASS (Phisia chrysitis), in
consequence of the metallic colouring of the wings.
The specific name of chrysitis, or gilded, is given to
it for the same reason. This insect belongs to another
family of the Noctuae, namely, the Quadrifidae or
Plusidae.

The colour of the upper wings is bright golden
green, which must be seen in a side light before its
beauty can be properly
distinguished. There is a
large and nearly triangu-
lar blotch of brown on the
middle of the wing, the
base of the triangle rest-
ing on the costal margin,

. , . , r , Plusia chrysitis.

another patch of the same

colour at the base, and a third on the inner margin,
just below the large triangular patch. These two
often coalesce, as is the case with a specimen now
before me. The hind wings are greyish brown, and
so is the body.

The caterpillar is green, with a row of white dots
under the spiracles, a white streak above them, and
six white marks on the back of each segment. It

256 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

assumes a curious attitude when at rest, the front of
the body being bent upwards, so that the caterpillar
only holds to its food-plant by its claspers. There
are two broods of the Burnished Brass Moth in the
year — one in the early summer, and the other in the
middle of autumn. It feeds on several plants, such
as the common white dead-nettle, and even the sting-
ing-nettle.

To the same pretty genus belong several other
well-known Moths, such as the SILVER Y (Phisia
gamma], so easily recognised by the bright silver
mark in the middle of the upper wings, closely resem-
bling the English letter Y or the Greek letter gamma
(7). Then there is the BEAUTIFUL GOLDEN Y (Phisia
pulchrina], the upper wings of which have a Y-h'ke
mark of burnished golden scales, and below it a round
spot of the same colour. Another of these Moths is
the GOLD SPANGLE (Phisia bracted), in which the
upper wings have on the disc a moderately large
and nearly square spot, which looks as if a patch of
gold-leaf had been placed on the wing, and brilliantly
burnished.

IF the reader will refer to the accompanying
woodcut, he will see a portrait of the well-known
HERALD MOTH (Gonopteryx libatrix), our only British
representative of the family Gonopteridae.

Even were not the colour of this insect so con-
spicuous, it could at once be identified by the shape
of its upper wings, the hinder margins of which are
deeply cut and scalloped, very much like those
of the Comma Butterfly. The colour of the upper

RED UNDERWINGS, 257

wings is soft brown-grey, with a downy surface, and

slightly powdered with rust-red. On the middle of

the wing is a broad dash of bright rust-red reaching

as far as the base, and

having a tiny, but

conspicuous spot of

pure white in its

middle. Parallel with

the hind margin a

whitish-grey line runs

across the wing and Conakry* matrix.

has a narrow, pale brown streak accompanying it.
The front of the thorax is furnished with a ruff of
long, soft down, of the same rust-red as that of the
wing The rest of the body and the lower wings are
greyish-brown. The caterpillar is green, with a
narrow grey streak along the sides. It feeds on the
Sallow, and when full-fed 'spins a cocoon within two
or three of the leaves, which it draws together with
silk.

The popular name of Herald is given to this Moth
because it appears at the end of autumn, and is sup-
posed to be the herald of the coming winter. Though
feeding in the open air, it has a singular predilection
for the habitations of man, and contrives to make its
way into stables, outhouses, and even into houses that
are inhabited.

JUST as one group of Moths is popularly termed
the Yellow Underwings, so is another termed the Red
Underwings, the ground colour of their lower wings
being brilliant red.

S

258 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

One of these splendid insects is the RED UNDER-
WING (Catocala nupta\ which is represented below.
This is one of the largest and handsomest of the
group, though its colours are not quite so brilliant as
that of the Scarlet Underwing, an insect not so com-
mon as the present species.

The upper wings are grey with a slight yellowish
tint, and profusely covered with waved bars and other
marks of black, nearly every such mark being

Catocala nupta.

accompanied by a grey bar of similar shape. The
under wings are red, diversified with two black bars,
one, a very broad one, parallel to the hind margin, and
another, a comparatively narrow and much curved
bar, running across the middle of the wing. Beneath,
the upper wings are white, crossed by three broad
black bars, and the lower wings are similarly coloured,
but warming into light red towards the inner margin,
and having two bars across them.

The caterpillar is grey in colour, not unlike the
hue of the upper wings of the perfect insect, and some-

MAKING A FIRST ACQUAINTANCE. 259

times has two black waved stripes on the back. I
never saw this caterpillar, but Mr. Newman's account
of its habits is so admirable that I transfer it to these
pages :—

' It feeds on the Crack Willow (Satix fragilis]
and,1 when closely adherent to the bark, is almost
impossible to detect. I have sometimes found it by
passing my hand gently over the surface of the bark
about a foot below the branches of a pollard willow,
when its cold, soft feel at once betrayed it. It spins a
network cocoon among the leaves, or in a crevice of
the bark about Midsummer, and changes to a smooth
chrysalis covered with a purple bloom.'

The perfect insect appears about August ; and
though it may be common, it is not often seen, owing
to its mode of concealment. It carries into its perfect
state one of its caterpillar habits, and has a way of
settling on the trunks of'willow trees and closing its
wings. In this position the splendid red under wings
are completely hidden by the sombrely tinted upper
pair, which so exactly resemble the colour of the bark
that, even when the Moth is pointed out, very few
can distinguish it. I well remember the first time of
discovering one of these beautiful Moths. I was going
to bathe in the river Chenvell, near Oxford, a stream
which is bordered with willows. I happened to place
my hand on the trunk of one of the willows, when out
bounced a grand Red Underwing, startling me as
much as a novice in shooting is startled by his first
pheasant. I afterwards found that the Moths were
tolerably plentiful upon these trees.

The generic name Catocala is formed from the

S 2

260 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

Greek, and signifies something which is beautiful
beneath. The name has been given to these insects
because their chief beauty lies in the under wings,
which are hidden beneath the upper pair when the
Moth is at rest.

26 1

CHAPTER V.

DELTOIDES, PYRALIDES, AND CRAMBITES.

I VERY much regret that there should be no simpler
words which can be substituted for those which head
this chapter. There are, however, none whatever, so
we must be content to use the terms which are
adopted by the best entomologists of the time.
Indeed, the only group of which it is even possible to
form a simple English ward which fully expresses the
character of the insects, is the first, which literally
signifies Delta-like, and may be freely translated as
Delta- Moths, because when the insects are at rest,
their wings assume a shape which bears some resem-
blance to the Greek letter Delta (A). All the above-
mentioned insects are small, but the number of species
is enormous, for they reckon among their ranks more
species than all the groups which have heretofore
been described. As is the case with the Noctuae, the
Moths of each group bear a great resemblance to each
other, and much afflict the mind of the collector by
their prevailing similitude.

ONE example of the Deltoides will be sufficient for
our present purpose, and we will select the BANDED

262 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

SNOUT (Hypena rostralis\ which is represented in
the accompanying woodcut.

This is one of the Moths which have received the
popular name of Snouts on account of the extremely
elongated palpi, which project in front of the head so
as to look very much like a proboscis. The antennae
of these insects are simple in the females and tufted
in the males ; their bodies are slender and furnished
with a tuft on the first segment.

The present species has the upper wings of a
yellowish-brown crossed with a dark, grey-edged

band. It is a common
Moth, and one of the
earliest to appear in
spring. The caterpillar
is long and slender,
hairy, and when full-fed

Hypena rostrahs.

spins a silken web

among leaves and then changes into a long and
slender pupa, having the head portion much elongated
in order to contain the ' snout ' or elongated palpi.

NEXT come the PYRALIDES, which some authors
class with the preceding insects. They include, among
other insects, the Meal-Moths, and the beautiful group
of Pearl-Moths, so called because the surface of their
wings has a peculiar sheen, much resembling that of
mother-of-pearl.

WE will take as our first example of these Moths
the tcfo familiar TABBY MOTH (Aglossa pinguinalis}.

TABBY MOTH. 263

The Moth is rather a pretty one. Its upper wings
are yello\vish-bro\vn, with a very dark and nearly
black patch at the base of each
wing, and a broad stripe of the
same colour running parallel
with the hind margin, and
much wider above than below. Agioss
A narrow white streak divides the dark from the
lighter portions of the wing. The lower wings are of
the same pale dun as the upper pair, but they are
without the dark markings, and have only two jagged
narrow streaks of white near them ! When the wings
are expanded, these marks look as if they were
continuations of the corresponding marks of the upper
wings.

This may almost take rank as one of the Clothes
Moths, as in the larval state it feeds on old and
greasy clothing. Grease, indeed, seems to be a
necessity with this insect, which delights especially in
old horse-rugs that are neglected by careless grooms.
The specific name of pinguinalis signifies fatty or
greasy, and is given to the species on account of the
substances on which the larva feeds.

The caterpillar, which does the mischief, is a brown
creature with a hard and horny skin, and having a
head darker than the rest of the body. Like the
ordinary Clothes Moths, it does not meddle with
articles that are either in common use or that are care-
fully aired and looked after. But, should a groom
throw a horse-rug into a corner, and let it lie there for
several days, the larvae of the Tabby Moth find their
opportunity, and make sad havoc with the cloth.

264 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

When full-fed the larva makes a slight cocoon, and
therein undergoes its transformations.

Now we come to a very extraordinary creature.

There is one family of Moths, comprising only
four species, the larvae of which are dwellers in the
water, thus trespassing on the domains of other orders
of insects. This is a group of Moths popularly
called China Marks, because the general character of
the surface of the wing and its markings has very
much of a porcelain character about it. The typical
species is Hydrocampa stagnalis. In all these Moths,
the female is considerably larger than the male, and
is rather variable in her colouring, so that the older
entomologists have in several cases considered the
sexes as forming distinct species. The male has no
feathering to the antennae, and the palpi are short, close
together, arid directed upwards.

The Moths are pretty little creatures, but the chief
interest of the insect lies in the larva, which has a
mode of existence that seems quite opposed to the
whole character of the Lepidoptera. The caterpillars
feed upon aquatic plants, and in some species are
absolutely sub-aquatic themselves. It is evident that
the respiratory apparatus of such larvae cannot be
formed like that of ordinary caterpillars, which breathe
atmospheric air through spiracles and breathing tubes.
Accordingly, these larvae, like those of the caddis, the
May-flies, and one or two beetles, such as the whirli-
vvig, which has been described in the course of this
work, are furnished with gill-like filaments along their
sides, by means of which they extract the oxygen from
the water just as fishes do.

PEARL MOTHS. 265

This is a most wonderful fact, and almost without
a parallel in entomology. There is one species of
Ichneumon-fly, called Agriotypus annatus, which is so
far aquatic in its character that it crawls down the
sides of stones and water-plants to a considerable
depth, evidently for the purpose of laying its eggs in
some aquatic larva. It really seems to be fond of
diving for its own sake, and if kept in an aquarium
will submerge itself for a considerable time, the
appearance of a hymenopterous insect beneath the
surface of the water being most extraordinary, and
always exciting the admiration and surprise of those
who have any practical knowledge of insects. But,
that a caterpillar should actually pass its life under
the water is still more contrary to all preconceived
opinions, and the idea of a water-caterpillar is not one
whit more abnormal than that of a water-butterfly.
The name Hydrocampa is formed from two Greek
words literally signifying water-caterpillar, and is
given to this genus of Moths in consequence of the
aquatic life of the larva.

The Moths themselves are very common, and can
be taken in plenty on the banks of ponds and any wet
places where duck-weed, pond-weed, and water-lilies
grow.

WE next come to the Pearl Moths, which are
placed in the genus Botys.

In the genus Botys, the body is larger than the
wings, and both pairs are marked in a similar manner.

The colour of our example of these Moths is pearly-
white, on which are a number of dark markings
arranged as shown in the illustration which will be

266 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

found beneath. The popular name of this insect is
the MOTHER OF PEARL, and its scientific name is
Botys urticalis.

Although the general character of these marks is
the same in all species, there is some variation in

different specimens, both in
their arrangement and depth
of tint. In colour they are
nearly black, but if viewed by
a side light, a purplish metallic
gloss is seen upon them, being
best defined along the costal margin of the upper
wings. Both surfaces are coloured in much the same
manner, but on the under surface the marks are not
so dark, and the purple gloss is more conspicuous,,
especially on the lower wings. When closed, the wings
assume a heart-like shape, and usually look very round,
as if a flat plate of thin mother-of-pearl had been cut
into the shape of a heart, and carefully painted with
dark spots. The thorax is bright golden-yellow, the
abdomen is black, each segment being edged with
yellow, and there is a tuft of yellow hairs at the end
of the tail.

The caterpillar is one of the numerous nettle-
feeders. It is thicker in the middle than at the ends,
and so thin-skinned that it has a semi-transparent
appearance when viewed against the light Its colour
is whitish-grey on the back relieved by a central black
line, and the sides are green. It draws together the
leaves of the nettle with silken threads, and so feeds
in concealment. There are ten species of this pretty
genus.

VENEER MOTHS. 267

THE next group of Moths which comes before us
is called CRAMBITES, this name being apparently
derived from a Greek word signifying a kind of cater-
pillar. Whether or not this is the case I cannot say,
but the word has long been accepted by entomologists.
The reader will notice that all Moths which belong to
this group have their specific names ending in * ellus *"
or 'ella,' according to the gender of the generic
name.

WE can describe one example only of this group,
namely, the PEARL- STREAK VEXEER (Crambus ha-
mellus), which is depicted below. In all the insects
belonging to this genus, the labial palpi are very long
and at first sight look very much like a beak, or short
proboscis. The upper wings are long, narrow, and
convoluted in repose, and the antennae are thread-like.

This beautiful little Moth is rather gaily coloured.
The ground hue of its upper wings is rich dark brown,
and parallel with the costal margin
and just below it is drawn a narrow
streak of pearly white, from which
its popular name is derived. The
hind margins of the wings are yel-
low, that colour being separated from the brown by a
dark, wavy bar. The lower wings are much lighter
in colour than the upper pair, and not nearly so hand-
some, their colour being pale grey-brown, with an
edging of yellow like that of the upper pair.

It is not a very common Moth, but can be taken
in open places in woods by beating the bushes. It.
makes its appearance in the very midst of summer.

268

COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

THE last of the Crambites which we can examine
is an insect with which all bee-keepers would very
gladly dispense, as it plays much the same part with
the bee-comb that the Clothes Moth does with wool,
fur, or feathers. This is the little insignificant-looking

Galleria cerella.

Galleria, larvj

HONEY-COMB MOTH (Galleria cerella}. The specific
name of cerella (from the Latin word cera> wax) has
been given to this insect in consequence of the wax-
eating propensities of the larva.

A figure of the caterpillar is shown in the act of
forcing its way through the honey-comb.

269

CHAPTER VI.

TORTRICES, TINE/E, AND PTEROPHORI.

THE Tortrices or Twisters are so called because
many, though not all of them, are in the habit of
twisting or rolling up leaves while in the larval state.
There is little difficulty in knowing whether a
Moth belongs to this group. In these, the body is
comparatively short and slender, and the wings have
a peculiar wave on their costal margin, so that when
the insect is at rest with closed wings, the outline is
curiously like that of a bell. We will take a few of
the most conspicuous of these Moths.

AT their head come some Moths which scarcely
seem to belong to the Tortrices. They are popularly
called by the name of Silver Lines, because their
green wings are crossed with some narrow lines of
silvery-whiteness. As a rule, the Tortrices are all
little Moths, but some of the Silver-Lines are excep-
tions to this rule, and are, indeed, the very giants of
their race.

There are but three of these insects, which form
the family of the Cymbidae, a name which will be
presently explained. The commonest of them is the

27c COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

GREEN SILVER-LINES (Halias fraxinana). The
upper wings of this Moth are beautiful leaf-green,
across which are drawn three diagonal silvery lines,
taking a pinkish hue near the inner margin. The
head and thorax are of the same green hue as the
wings. The lower wings and abdomen are pale
yellow. The larva of this insect feeds on the oak, the
ash, and one or two other trees, and the perfect insect
appears in May. The middle of July is a good time
for taking the larva, as it is then nearly full-fed. The
colour of the caterpillar very much resembles that of
the Moth's wings. This Moth measures about an
inch and a half in the spread of its wings.

When the caterpillar is full-fed, it changes into a
chrysalis, which is fastened to a leaf. The form of
the chrysalis is most peculiar, and has been compared
to that of a boat with the keel uppermost. The name
of Cymbidae, which has been given to this family, is
taken from a Greek word signifying a boat, and alludes
to the form of this pupa.

WE now proceed to the typical family, the
Tortricidae, of which we shall take two examples, the
first of which is the very pretty, but very destructive
PEA-GREEN MOTH or OAK-MOTH. The scientific
name of this insect is Tortrix viridana. The appear-
ance of this little Moth is very prepossessing, the
upper wings being leaf-green, and the lower pair
greyish-brown. When the wings are closed, the green
is the only portion of the insect that is visible, so that
the Moths may be thickly spread over a branch, and
yet not one be distinguishable from the leaves. This

COD LIN MOTH. 271

insect is in some years very destructive among the
oak trees. It may be found in abundance at the
beginning of summer, in any place where oaks are
numerous.

NEXT on our list comes the lovely, but destructive
CODLIX MOTH (Tortrixm Carpocapsa pomonana}.

This is a most exquisitely coloured insect, but a
magnifying glass and a good light are required in
order to bring out all its
beauties. The upper wings
are rich brown, banded at
the base and tip with a
darker and warmer brown.
In the dark band at the
tip of the wing is an oval
mark of brilliant gold-
coloured scales, having a Tortrix P°monana-
very dark centre. In certain lights this dark centre
takes a reddish hue, while a golden gloss pervades the
whole of the wing. Even the outer wings, when
viewed in a side light, shine as if made of the richest
satin. By a proper adjustment of the light, a rather
curious effect can be produced, the wings of one side
glittering and shining in full splendour, while the
corresponding wings of the other side are nothing but
dull grey, brown, and black.

Despite the destructive habits of this insect—
perhaps in consequence of them — I have always
cherished a kindly reminiscence of this Moth. When
I was a child there was a remarkably fine codlin apple-
tree in the garden, the fruit of which ripened early

272 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

and was particularly juicy. As children, we were not
allowed to gather the fruit at our discretion, but were
permitted to take that which fell without any unfair
means being used, such as beating or shaking the
branches. Thanks to the Codlin Moth, a considerable
number of apples always did fall annually, having
ripened much before their time, as is the manner of
fruit which will never come to perfection. Like most
larvae which never see the light until they are full-fed,
the caterpillar of this insect is nearly colourless, with
the exception of the head, which is brown-black, hard,
and shining.

273

CHAPTER VII.

: AND PTEROPHORI.

WE now come to a vast group of Moths, some of which
are moderately large, while some are so very minute
that they scarcely seem to be ranked among the
Lepidoptera.

The name Tinese is taken from a Latin word
signifying a Clothes Moth, and has nothing to do with
our word ' tiny,' however appropriate that may be in
many cases. The number of these Moths is really
unknown, for there is scarcely a year in which some
new species of the Tineae is not discovered and placed
on the list. Indeed, so numerous are they that they
have collectively been ranked under a separate name,
viz. Micro-lepidoptera, and their study has become
quite a distinct branch of entomology.

We will now proceed to examine a few examples
of this group of Moths, and begin with the very beau-
tiful and very mischievous insect called by the popular
name of the LITTLE ERMINE (Hyponomeuta padella}.
With respect to the first of these names, I must mention
that some writers on entomology omit the H and spell
the word Yponomeuta. This practice, although it is
followed by various writers, is utterly wrong, as it

T

274 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

omits the aspirate in the Greek, the English repre-
sentative of which is the letter H.

It is impossible to mistake the Little Ermine, whose
long, narrow, satiny white upper wings, sprinkled with
black dots, render it exceedingly conspicuous. The
destruction wrought by this little insect is almost in-
credible, whole trees being stripped of their foliage,
and, instead of bearing leaves, covered with the white
webs and strong threads of the caterpillars. Even in
the midst of London, in the densest, smokiest, dingiest
part of Bermondsey, I have seen this Moth in full force.
It was simply master of the situation. The little
square yard which did duty for a garden was overrun
with the caterpillars, which stretched their tough
silken cables across the yard, across the windows,
across the doorways, across the path, and, in fact, seemed
to have calculated how they could most annoy the
legitimate proprietors of the place.

Not content with taking possession of the tiny
garden, they invaded the houses around, and every
window that was opened \vas at once stormed by the
caterpillars, which entered the rooms, crawled over the
furniture, trailed their silken lines over everything in
the room, and really made the inhabitants of the houses
quite afraid to admit the little air that ever stirs in
such localities. • Yet, in the midst of all the smoke,
the dust, the ' blacks/ and the other adjuncts of the
neighbourhood, the little Moths fluttered about with
\vings as purely white as if they had never come within
twenty miles of a chimney.

WE must not pass over without notice the lovely

LOXG-HORX MOTHS. 275

Long-horn Moths, of which we have several examples
in England. These Moths are remarkable for the
extreme length and delicacy of their antennae, these
appendages being very much longer in the males than
in the females. The best known of these is the DE
GEEREAN (Adela de Geerela). This is a truly magni-
ficent insect. Even to the naked eye its upper wings
are singularly beautiful, but when it is examined by
the microscope its splendour absolutely baffles descrip-
tion. Suffice it to say that the wings then appear to
be covered with scale armour of burnished gold, every
scale taking a rich purple hue in certain light. As the
insect is turned under the microscope the edges become
deeply purple, this hue being strongest and most con-
spicuous towards the tips. The fringe of the wings
has also a tendency to purple.

The antennae of this Moth are of enormous length.
Just at the base they are rather thick, and have a very
slight feathering. They then suddenly diminish, and
are so long and so delicate that they almost look lik£
the threads of a spider's web that have been casually
attached to the creature's head. Indeed, I have often
taken the Moth by watching for the flash of light re-
flected from the antennae as they wave about in the
air like threads of gossamer, while the insect is sitting
quietly on a leaf.

THE next group of Tineae are all leaf-miners in
the larval state. The name of this group is the
Lithocolletidae. The object of this name I really
cannot determine. It is derived from two Greek
words, the former signifying a stone, and the latter to

276 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

glue or cement. Taken collectively, the words may
either signify a stone-cementer, or something that is
inlaid or cemented with stone. Perhaps the colouring
of the wings may have given some motion of a mosaic
wall, which is made of small cubes of stone cemented
together.

A FIGURE of one of the prettiest of these very
pretty insects is given herewith, very much magnified.

Lithocolletes corylella.

The scientific name of this insect is Lithocolletes corylella.
No popular name has been given to it, so I shall call
it the BROWN DOLLY, because the brown markings on
the white wings bear, when viewed from base to tip, a
certain resemblance to a rude wooden doll. It is really
a very pretty insect. Viewed with the naked eye, it
is so small that the shape of the markings is wholly
invisible, and all that can be seen is a white surface pro-
fusely sprinkled with brown, or a brown surface spotted
with white. But, when the magnifying glass is brought
to bear upon it, the markings are seen to be very clearly

THE BROWN DOLLY. 277

defined. I have examined a considerable number of
these beautiful little Moths, and in none of them was
there any noticeable variation.

Although but few colours are employed in the
decoration of the little Moth's plumage, it is a most
beautiful insect, the rich brown and pure creamy white
being contrasted in a wonderfully bold manner. There
is a slight difference in the colour of the sexes, the
upper wings of the male being soft creamy-white,
while those of the female are cold grey-white. Upon
their surface are drawn the rich brown markings shown
in the illustration. The fringe is whitish-grey. The
under wings are grey, fringed with a much lighter hue
and darkening at the base. The sides of the head are
yellow, and the face snowy-white ; the thorax is of
the same colour as the upper wings, and the abdomen
is grey, ended with a tuft of very pale yellow.

The larva is necessarily of very minute dimen-
sions. When living it is about as long as the capital
letter I, and, indeed, could not be much larger
in consequence of the character of its home. Its
colour is pale yellow, with a blackish-brown head, and
a patch of deep orange upon the ninth segment. It
burrows into the leaves of the \MLZ\(Corylusavellana),
from which it obtains its specific name corylella.

WE now come to some very curious and withal
beautiful insects, though none of them possess the
magnificent colouring which distinguishes the lovely
little Moths which have just been described. They
are scientifically known by the name of PTEROPHORI,
or Feather-Bearers, and bear the popular name of

278 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

Plume Moths, on account of the structure of the wings-
In those Lepidoptera which we have hitherto examined
the wings are formed of a thin membrane stretched
between certain strengthening nervures, or wing-rays,
the principal of which radiate from the base of the
wing. But in the Plume Moths there is no membrane,
each nervure being furnished with long, hair-like
plumes by which the insect is sustained in the air.
In the under wings, the nervures are separate nearly
from the base to the tip, but the upper wings are only
divided from the middle.

THE commonest and one of the prettiest of the
Plume Moths is popularly known as the LARGE WHITE
PLUME, the SKELETON, or the PHANTOM, all names
being perfectly appropriate. Its scientific name is
PteropJwrus pentadactylus.

This very beautiful though simply coloured insect
has the wings pure snowy-white, and divided into
separate plumes. In all cases the feathering of the
plumes is much wider on the inner than the outer side
of the nervure, very much like the structure of an
ordinary bird's feather. If the wings be examined
with the microscope, it will be seen that the long
fringes which form the feathering are composed of the
ordinary scales which cover the wings of the Lepido-
ptera, such scale being drawn out to a great length.
Indeed, length of scale is one of the leading charac-
teristics of these Moths, and the scales which clothe
the base of the wings are also remarkable for their
length. When viewed by a side light, these plumes
have a satiny lustre, which quite disappears when they

PLUME MOTHS. 279

are viewed through a magnifying-glass, so as to render
each of the delicate filaments visible.

THE Moth conceals itself during the day, making
its appearance at dusk, when it flutters about like a
snow-flake driven at random by the wind. It never
makes a long flight, but if disturbed in one spot, just
flits a yard or two and again settles on some leaf,
where its white, outstretched, though not outspread
wings render it very conspicuous when at rest. It
never folds its wings to its body as do so many Moths,
but remains with them stretched on either side to their
very fullest extent, as if actually courting observation.

THE last of the Plume Moths, and indeed, the last
Moth in our list of British Lepidoptera, is the beautiful
little insect which is called by various names, only one
of which is in any way correct. In some places it is
known by the name of the THOUSAND PLUME, in
others by that of the TWENTY PLUME, and in others
the MANY-CLEFT PLUME, sometimes abbreviated into
MANY PLUME. This last name is the only one which
is correct in any way, and, after all, its correctness is
only owing to its vagueness, which is almost a literal
translation of its scientific name, Alucita polydactyla,
or the Many-fingered Moth. In real fact the Moth
has twenty-four plumes, which radiate from the body,
so that, when the insect is at rest, its outline is almost
semicircular.

It is but a little insect, the largest specimen
measuring barely half an inch across the outspread
wings. In its habits it is quite different to the Plume

280 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS.

Moths. They are always to be found in the open air,
whereas the Many-Plume Moth is almost invariably
taken in outhouses or similar buildings. I have fre-
quently found it on the windows of my own rooms, its
peculiar shape immediately betraying it. It can easily
be taken by the plan called * pill-boxing,' i.e. putting
an empty pill-box over the Moth, slipping a piece of
card or paper under it, and then putting on the lid of
the box as the card is withdrawn. The box can then
be put into the laurel bottle, or into a vessel in which
a few drops of chloroform have been placed, and in a
few minutes a perfect specimen will be at the collector's
disposal. The colour of this little Moth is very pale
brown, speckled with grey and dark brown, and taking
an ochreous tint towards the base of the wings.

The larva of this Moth feeds on the buds of the
honeysuckle, and is very common. About the end of
July or the beginning of August the caterpillar is full-
fed, and then spins for itself a cocoon, in which it
undergoes its changes. This, I believe, is the only
Plume Moth that makes a cocoon. In three or four
weeks from the time of its change into the pupal state
it is fully developed, and then makes its way to the
nearest place of concealment, in which it may remain
dormant throughout the winter.

INDEX.

ABR

ABRAXAS, 233

Acherontia, 204

Adela, 275

Admiral-Red, 192

Agabus, 54

Aglossa, 262

Agrotis, 250

Aleochara, 62

Alucita, 279

Amara, 41

Anchomenus, 38

Angle-shades, 253

Anobium, 121

Anthocharis, 184

Anthrocera, 220

Antiopa, 189

Apion, 134

Arctia, 222

Argent and Sable Moth, 238

Argynnis, 187

Aromia, 150

Asparagus Beetle, 157

Atalanta, 192

BALAXINUS, 140
Bembidium, 44
Blaps, 125

Bloody-nose Beetle, 158
Blue Butterflies, 199
Boletobius, 64
Bombardier, 22
Botys, 265

CIN

Brachelytra, 60
Brachinus, 22
Brachyderidae, 136
Brimstone Butterfly, 185
Broscus, 40
Brown Dolly, 276
Bruchus, 132
Buff-tip. 241
Burnet Moths, 220
Burnished Brass, 255
Burying Beetles, 74
Butterflies, 176

CABBAGE MOTH, 249
Camberwell Beauty, 189
Campylus, 113
Carabus, 33
Cardinal Beetle, 126
Carpocapsa, 271
Cassida, 162
Crambites, 267
Catocala, 258
Cellar Beetles, 125
Cheimatobia, 235
Chelonia, 222
Chimney-Sweeper, 239
China Marks, 264
Cholevina, 74
Chrysomela, 160
Churchyard Beetle, 125
Cicindela, 18
Cinnabar Moth, 220

282

INDEX.

CLA

Clavicornes, 73

Claviger, 171

Clearwings, 212

Clerus, 120

Clifden Blue, 200

Clivina, 25

Clouded Yellow, 186

Clytus, 152

Coach-horse, Devil's, 67

Codlin Moth, 271

Coeliodes, 142

Coccinella, 164

Cocktail Beetles, 61

Coleoptera, 7

Colias, 1 86

Comma Butterfly, 190

Convolvulus Hawk Moth, 209

Cossus, 215

Creophilus, 66

Crioceris, 157

Cryptorhynchidce, 141

Currant Moth, 233

Cuspidates, 240

Cymbidae, 269

DEATH'S HEAD MOTH, 204

Death-watch, 122

De Geerean, 275

Deltoid es, 261

Devil's Coach-horse, 67

Dicranura, 240

Dolly Brown, 276

Donacia, 156

Dromius, 21

Dyticus, 48

EMPEROR MOTH, 226
Emperor of Morocco, 196
Emperor, Purple, 196
Ennomidas,232
Erirhinidas, 138
Ermine, Little, 273
Ermine Moths, 222
Euchelidae, 220
Eupoda, 155
Eyed Hawk Moth, 207

LAS

FRITILLARIES, 187
Furniture Beetles, 121

GALERUCID.E, 160
Galleria, 268
Geodephaga, 17
Geometroe, 229
Glow-worm, 115
Goat- Moth, 215
Golden Y, 256
Gonepteryx, 185
Gonopteryx, 256
Grapta, 190

Green- veined White, 184
Ground Beetles, 33
Grayling, 199
Gyrinus, 57

HAIRSTREAKS, 200
Halias, 270
Haliplus, 56
Haltica, 161
Harpalus, 43
Hawk Moths, 203
Herald, 256
Hesperidae, 200
Heterocera, 202
Heteromera, 124
Homalium, 72
Homalota, 63
Honeycomb Moth, 268
Hoppers, 161
Hornet Clearwing, 212
Humming Bird Moth, 210
Hydradephaga, 46
Hydrocampa, 264
Hydroporus, 55
Hylesinidoe, 145
Hypena, 262
Hyponomeuta, 273

LADY BIRDS, 165
Lampyris, 115
Lasiocampa, 225

INDEX.

283

LAU

Laurel Bottle 27
Lebia, 20
Lepidoptera, 176
Lime Hawk Moth, 208
Lithocolletes, 276
Long-horn Moths, 275
Lorigicornes, 149
Loopers, 229

MACROGLOSSA, 210
Magpie Moth, 233
Malacodermi, 115
Mamestra, 249
Meadow Brown, 199
Meal Worm, 126
Melanippe, 238
Meloe, 127
Mezium, 122
Mother of Pearl, 266
Moths, 202
Musk Beetle, 150

NECROPHAGA, 73
Necrophorus, 74
Noctuae, 247
Nocturni, 202
Notiophilus, 36
Notodonta, 245
Nut-Weevil, 140

OAK EGGAR, 225
Oak Moth, 270
Ocypus, 67
Oil Beetle, 127
Orange-tip, 184
Orgyia, 222
Otiorhynchus, 137

PAINTED LADY, 194
Papilio, 179
Pea-Weevils, 133
Peach-blossom, 248
Peacock Butterfly, 195

SIL

Pear Weevils, 134
Pearl Moths, 265
Phantom Moth, 278
Philonthus, 69
Phlogophora, 253
Phyllotreta, 161
Phytophaga, 155
Plume Moths, 277
Plusia, 255
Pieris, 182
Pine Weevil, 139
Pissodes, 139
Polyommatus, 200
Pristonychus, 37
Prominents, 245
Pselaphidas, 169
Pseudo-bombyces, 240
Pseudotrimera, 164
Pterophori, 277
Pterostichus, 39
Ptinidae, 121
Purple Emperor, 196
Puss Moth, 240
Pygsera, 241
Pyralides, 262
Pyrochroa, 126

RED UNDERWING, 257
Rhopalocera, 176
Rhynchophora, 131
Rice Weevil, 143
Ringlet, 199
Rove Beetles, 61
Rumia, 232

SAGRID.*;, 155
Saturnia, 226
Satyrus, 199
Scaritiaee, 24
Scolytus, 145
Sesia, 212
Setting Beetles, 30
Sexton Beetles, 74
Silphidae, 74
Silver Lines, 269

284

INDEX.

SIL

Silver Y, 256
Sitones, 136
Sitophilus, 143
Skeleton Moth, 278
Skippers, 200
Smerinthus, 207
Snout Moths, 262
Soldier Beetles, 118
Spangle Gold, 256
Speckled Wood, 199
Sphingidse, 203
Sphinx, 209
Spider Beetles, 123
Stenus, 70
Steropus, 39
Strangalia, 153
Staphylinidae, 65
Swallow-tail, 179
Swallow-tailed Moth, 231
Sweep Net, 28

TABBY, 262
Tachyporidae, 64
Tanagra, 239
Telephorus, 118
Tenebrio, 126
Tetramera, 131
Thistle Weevil, 135
Thorn Moths, 232
Thyatira, 248
Tiger Beetles, 18
Tiger Moth, 221
Timarcha, 158
Tmese, 273

ZYG

Tortoise Beetles, 162
Tortoiseshell Butterflies, 190
Tortrices, 269
Trichopteryx, 167
Trifidas, 249
Tryphaena, 252
Turnip Fleas, 161
Turnip Moth, 250

UNDERWING, YELLOW, 252
Urapteryx, 231

VANESSA, 189
Vapourer, 222
Veneers, 267

WALL BUTTERFLY, 199
Wasp Beetle, 153
Water Beetles, 46
Weevils, 131
Whirligig Beetles, 57
White Butterflies, 182
Winter Moth, 235
Wood Leopard, 214
Woolly Bear, 222

YELLOW UNDERWING, 252

ZEUZERA, 214
Zygaenidoe, 220

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