The name Neceophaga, i.e. ‘carrion-eaters,’ which distinguishes this group, is expressive of their character. By some systematic entomologists they are called Clavicoenes, or ‘club-horned,’ because .their antennae, slender at the base, are expanded at their tips into a roimded knob. This shape of antenna is called ‘ clavate’ by entomologists. The form of the antenna 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 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 Necrophaga, the The mandibles are powerful, as is required for the Silphid®. work which they have to perform, there is a very distinct labrum, and the trochanters of the hind legs are projecting. These are subdivided into two sub-families ; the first being called again 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 powerful, 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 futui'e 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 contrive to bury; and if it be too large for one Beetle, several others will take a share in the work. If the reader will refer to Plate IV., he will see that a : number of these Beetles are engaged in burying a dead bird.

They will bury birds, frogs, rabbits, pieces of meat, or any- ‘ thing of a similar kind, and do it with wonderful 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 E. Newman, in his ‘ Letters of Eusticus —

‘ Two days after, I was again in Grodbold’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 Greneral 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 roimd 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, 1 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, being so fetid that one’s hands smell for hours ^ ji after handling him ; and if he crawls on one’s coat, or other j; garments not often washed, the smell continues for days. The t; whole tribe of Bm-ying Beetles lay their eggs in the bodies of i i dead animals, which, when possible, they bury for the purpose. , | ij;! In Russia, where death itself does not do away with distinc- I' tions, the poor people are buried but a few inches under y grormd, the coffin consisting of four boards roughly nailed j together, and not particularly well fitted. The operation of ^ 1 burying is often at the expense of the country, and therefore done from necessity, not love. This mode afiords great satis- ^ i faction to the Burying Beetles, as it saves them the labours of | | the grave-digger. They avail themselves of the bodies placed |||; so nicely within their reach, and the graves are pierced with t their holes in every direction. At evening, himdreds of these Beetles may be seen in the Russian burying -places, either .|||j buzzing about the graves, or sitting placidly at the mouths of their burrows, which lead into them.

‘ The Burying Beetle in this country seldom finds so con- , venient a provision for him, and he is under the necessity of | taking much more trouble. He sometimes avails himself of ’ dead dogs and horses, but thes^are too great rarities to be his | constant resort : the usual objects of his search are dead mice. rats, birds, frogs, and moles ; of these, a bird is most commonly ^ obtained. In the neighbourhood of towns, every kind of garbage _ that is thrown out attracts these Beetles as soon as it begins to 1 1 smell ; and it is not unusual to see them settling in our streets, ^ | enticed by the grateful odour of such substances. j I

‘ 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 would be very available— viz. in the mght.

no other sense they have found a bird, great comfort is expressed by

When round and round above it like an eagle ; j

the male, who wheels

the female settles on it at once, without this testimonial of j

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 begim. 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 difi&culty ; 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 buried with it. The male begins by digging a furrow all round the bird, at the 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 xmder 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 Httle 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 portant business. intruded on during the im-

‘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 horn. 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 descends. 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.

rested, he rouses himself, treads the bird When sufficiently into its grave, pulls it by the feathers this way and that firmly settled it to his mind,^ begins to shovel in way, and, having This is done in a very short time, by means of his the earth. He goes behind the rampart of earth, and pushes broad head. with amazing strength and dexterity, the it into the grave downwards at first, and then the nose head being bent directly with a kind of jerk, which sends the earth forwards. elevated is thus filled up, the earth is trodden in, and After the grave keen scrutiny all round, the bird being undergoes another then makes a hole in the still hidden; the Beetle completely buried the bird and his own bride, next loose earth, and, having lays her eggs in the carcase of the buries himself. The female to its size ; and after this operabird in number proportioned pair have eaten as much of the savoury

tion’is over, and the make their way out, and fly away m viand as they please, they quest of further adventures.’ these insects a little more in detail.

We will now examine Plate IV Fig. 4, is seen the large Necrophorus humator,

On bird. This is a large, though not jurt ty tte head of the exceeds an inch in species. It sometimes brightly-coloured mth the three and its colour is deep, shining-black, lenith, The fringe- i e last joints of the antennse reddish-yellow. colour. This is a very common pads of the tarsi are of the same Beetles are seen the neck of the bird two Burying

UiSot it. These are two distinct species forcing their way beneath this attitude they display the and Je thus given, because in The Beetle nearest the marks of the species. Stincruishing It varies in size om bird’s beak is Necraphorus mortuorum. of an inch. Its colour not quite half to three-quarters of the elytra is a broad, waved, orange black^ but on the base spot of the same colour, the apex is a curved Lnd’andat and the club of -t“ tibi« I straight, "nder species and is sometimes found This is also a common black.

.ould ^cTsuir^mver the%::ceTin”

LTgf

inevitably believe these insects to be of the same species,

especially if be saw them apart. The practised eye of the entomologist, however, at once detects the marks of difference. In the first place, the hind tibiae are not straight, but much curved, like those of a bow-legged man, and the club of the antennae is orange. There is also a narrow line of golden down on the front of the thorax. In the next place, there is a considerable difference in the orange marks of the elytra, which are two broad waving bands, one across the base, and the other towards the apex, both being connected by a narrow band of the same colour upon the margin. This species is exceedingly variable in size, some specimens being barely half an inch in length, while others attain the length of an inch. It is very common in all parts of England. The specific name vespillo is Latin, and signifies a man who carried out the dead for burial at night.

Page 19 of 117