This description applies only to the male Beetle, the female being so utterly unlike her mate, that few persons, even if they had some acquaintance with entomology, would believe her to be the female of the pretty little Beetle which has just been described. Indeed, for a long time the two sexes were regarded as two distinct insects, belonging even to different genera, the male retaining the name of Drilus, and the female being described under the title of Gochleoctonus vorax. The name was appropriate enough, inasmuch as the word Cochleoctonus signifies ‘ snail-killer,’ and the specific name vorax was given in allusion to its voracity.

It is really no wonder that creatures so different in appearance should be looked upon as two distinct insects. In the first place, the female is inordinately larger than her mate, who looks by her side — to borrow Eeaumur’s simile — like a hare standing by a cow. A figure of the female is given on Woodcut XV*. Fig. 3, where she is represented of the natural size, i.e. about three-quarters of an inch in length. Now, the Drilus seldom exceeds one-quarter of an inch in length, male and often is below that measurement. Like the female glowworm, she is entirely wingless, but is more cylindric than that insect, and the body is narrowed in front. The coloru- is and each segment has two dark patches on the reddish-yellow, side. Altogether, she is not a pretty insect— indeed, upper

may almost be called ugly ; and how the slender, elegant she male finds any attraction in such a huge, awkward-looklittle

ing mate, does certainly seem wonderful. is very much like the female, but has a row of

The larva

conical fleshy lobes along the sides, and two rows of hairy

bunches on its back. At the end of the tail is a forked lobe,

which, like the similar part of the glow-worm larva, is used as

a means of locomotion. It is by these lobes and bunches that the larva is enabled to force its way into the snails on which it feeds. This larva is but seldom seen, as it lives throughout its entire larval and pupal existence within the shell of the snail, and the skin, which it casts preparatory to changing into the pupal state, exactly fills up the entrance of the shell.

The male Beetle is widely spread over England, but is seldom captured except by skilled insect-hunters, while the female is so rare that many entomologists, who have taken the male Drilus repeatedly, have never even seen the female.

The following account of the capture of one of these Beetles is given by Mr. E. C. Eye : — ‘ I once took, at the base of Shakspeare s Cliff, a full-grown female larva, running rapidly in the hot sunshine among snail-shells. It was more than half an inch long ; flat, narrow, but rather widening behind ; with a flat head, armed with two sharp and rather widely-separated mandibles ; six moderately long anterior legs, ten thin tubercles on each side of the fourth and following segments, gradually ptting longer, and clothed with stout brown bristles ; and two longer elevated protuberances, also set with long hairs on the upper side, with an oval elongation beneath, on the last segment. It was nearly the colour of raw sienna, and had a widenmg row of black spots on each side, beginning on the

There is but one British species of this genus.

^ The family of the Telephoridse 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 thonax, and both the antennae and the palpi are slender The ZbcD very plentiful, especially on the flowers of umhelliferous plants, and are popularly known as Soldiers and Sailors— the red species being the blue species by called by the former name, and the latter. called Telephorus fnscus, is rti:

One of these Beetles, shown on nd of the abdomen, and the 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 provocation. Indeed, it has long been the custom for boys to catch these Beetles, and set them fighting with each other. There is not the least difldculty 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.

popular idea among boys used to be, that a soldier and a The must be pitted against each other ; but this is not the sailor 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 progress, and can be taken by hand while in the air. The larva of the Telephoius on Woodcut XIV. Fig. /. Like the perfect is represented insect, it is carnivorous, feeding generally upon earth-worms, scruple in devouring its own kind. These but having no be found among grass and moss during the earlier larvse may of the year, after the severe frosts have ceased. They months whole of the winter in the larval state, and assume the pass the about April or May, according to the warmth pupal condition Twenty-two species of Telephorus are indigenous of the season. to England.

family of the Cleridse are mostly beautiful insects, and,

The are not large, some of them may rank among although they Beetles. The body is oblong, hard, and covered our prettiest and thorax are not as^ wide as the with down, and the head Clerus is known by several points of strucelytra The genus joint of the tarsus is very minute, the last ture ' The basal and the last joint ioint of the labial palpi is hatchet-shaped, and furnished with a curious of the antenn® is large, rounded, point directed inwards. uroiecting these Beetles are carnivorous and para-

In their larval state shall take two examples of tins sitic on other insects. We formicarms, which is genus, the first of which is Clerus

pretty The head of this msec is on Woodcut XIV. Fig. 3.

Thown the front margin being black.

black, and the thorax brick-red,

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, which is shown at Fig. e, 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. The specific name of formicarius is given to this Beetle because it has an ant-like aspect.

Another species, Glerus apiarius, is represented on Woodcut XV*. Fig. 2. This is very differently coloured from the preceding species. It has the head and thorax deep-blue, and tlie elytra red, crossed with three blue bands. The larva of this insect is parasitic on bees, preferring the comb of the hivebee, in which it is very mischievous, devouring not only one larva, as is generally the case with such parasites, but several in succession, creeping for the pm-pose from one cell to the other. We may call it the Hive Beetle.

The name of Glerus was given by Aristotle, in his ‘History of Animals,’ to a destructive insect that did much harm in beehives, and It has therefore been appropriated to these Beetles It IS very likely, however, that the Glerus of Aristotle was realty the larva of the Hooey-moth (Oalhria), too femiliar to all bee-keepers. This is the more likely, beeause the Honeymoth rs very common, and the Beetle is always a scarce insect

ere is another species, Cki-m alveanus, which inhabits the nests of solitary bees, such as those belonging to the genera Osmia and Megachile. All the species are about to pass into form^cofoons wLf ai; the pupal state ; and after they have attained their perfect form, they can walk boldly into the open air, even the stings of the hive-bee being of no avail the hard armour of the agafnst gainst Beetle.

The reader will remember that the larva of the first example

the Clendm feeds on those of certain wood-boring Beetles Vie now come to one of the insects which furnishes unwilw nourishment to the Glerus. It is represented on Woodcut XIV^ ig. 4, and is called Anobium striatum. This Beetle to the family of the belores Ptinidae, a group of small and v T struotive Beetles. They are cylindrical in shape, covered^ith very short down, and are able to draw their heads completety

thorax. Their legs can he packed under the overhanging to the body, and the tarsi have five joints. The genus closely of which there are eleven British species, has the Anobium,

last joints of the antennae rather longer than the others, three and the last joint egg-shaped. various species of this genus work terrible havoc among

The in which they produce the defect that is popularly furniture, ‘ worm-eaten.’ They are not in the known by the name of as to their diet, and will devour almost any least particular

of food. They seem to have a special appetite for weapons kind made by savages, as I know to my proper and implements being absolutely riddled with the cost, sundry Kafldr articles tiny Beetles, and not to be handled without burrows of these yellow dust, caused by the ravages of pouring out a shower of complete wreck which they made was the larva. The most bow, which was channelled from end to that of a New Guinea and in many places they had left scarcely anyend by them, thing but a very thin shell of wood.

In such cases I have but one remedy, namely, injecting into

holes spirits of wine in which corrosive sublimate has been the This is not so tedious a business as it may seem to dissolved. will often find its way from one hole to another, be, as the spirit so that, if half a dozen holes be judiciously selected, the poison piece of wood, kill all the insect inwill penetrate the whole habitants, and render it for ever impervious to their attack. bow cost me but little trouble. I firs The above-mentioned the greater part of the yellow powder,^ and then, shook out injected the spirit into several placing the bow perpendicularly, end. The effect was magical. The little holes at the upper of the holes in all directions, and not one Beetles came out poisoned spirit; many of them, survived the touch of the they could force themselves completely indeed, dying before will also eat skins and any dned out of the holes. They a neglected box of moths substance ; and I have found animal eaten by these voracious insects. completely convex, and blackish-brown m

The present species is rather behind, and on each The thorax is rather narrowed

colour. are two pits. The elytia are boldly

side of the hinder margin with Gie aid ot each stria being seen, when examined

striated, placed in regular to consist of a number of punctures

a lens,

rows. It is a very common species. The larva of this destructive insect is drawn, much magnified, at Fig. d!, and the antenna at c.

The old popular terror respecting the Death-watch is wellknown, 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 Deathwatch is, in fact, the call of the Anohium 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. There is, by the way, a species of cockroach which acts in a similar manner, and generally disports itself on board ship, where the sailors know it by the name of Drummer.

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