Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-10-24
Beetles.

| THAT class of insects which naturalists
term Coleoptera, and in common parlance
are known by the name of beetles, seems
| to have been studied with more interest
and care than most other chronological
species spread over the globe. The an
clients knew them under the name of scar
! ab9i; and almost all offer to the eye the
bright colors of the rainbow, and the
beautiful metallic effects which have from
the earliest time attracted the attention OF
men. There is no difficulty in distin-
gushing them from other insects, owing
to their wings, which are four in number
The under ones are slender, marked with
ramified nervures, folding and un-
folding with remarkable facility,
when the insect takes its flight or settles
on any object. The upper wings are of a
hard texture, and form sheaths for the
others; they are termed "elytra," and
open at right angles to the body when
flying, never beating or vibrating. Their
name is legion, and it is asserted that not
less than hundred Thousand varieties
have been marked in different collec-
tions. .tt.., ......-..
The individual species of scarabei may
be divided into seven principal classes, of
which the first, that of the Cetoniida,
d ScIICS VI Utstubllu1 luSCCtSy
which feed on the juices of flowers. The
golden beetle is one of the most charm
ing; in some countries it is called the
king of the beetles. 1t is of a golden
green, with white spots; when it flies in
the sun, scarcely raising the elytra, its
whole body sparkles like polished metal.
During the summer months, it lives in
gardens, always choosing the most bril-
liantly colored flowers on which to rest;
it penetrates to the hearts of theroses and
peonies, or settles on the petals of the
honeysuckle, which it eats, sucking the
honeyed liquid 1t is perfectly molten
sive, does no harm to vegetation, and has
not the unpleasant smell which belongs to
many of the tribe. The females lay their
eggs at the foot of trees, among decayed
wood, and even in the nests of ants. Here
the young larvae find their nourishment in
woody morsels for three years, and then
construct their cocoons, from which in
due time the beetle emerges. One beau
tifuI kind, found in the Philippine ISL
that they are kept as pets in small bam-
boo cages. The Brazilian species are of
an immense size, and may be seen resting
under the leaves of the maize plantations,
or flying around the tops of the tallest
trees. These, again, are surpassed in size
by the Goliath, which is peculiar to trop-
ical Africa. Collectors have been so anx
ious for specimens, and found them so
difficult to obtain, that as much as $3.50
has been given for one of these insects,
which are the common food of the ma
tives when roasted.
The sacred beetle of the Egyptians be-
longs to the Coprina; its singular in
stincts had, without doubt, much aston
ished them, for it is found on the most
ancient monuments in the land of the
Pharaohs, depicted on amulets, placed in
sarcophagi, and treated with the greatest
veneration by the dwellers on the banks
of the Nile. They were an agricultural
people, and valued these great black in
sects for their habit of clearing away
noxious substances. An oily substance
which they secrete keeps their skins
bright and glossy, so that none of the
dirty matter among which they live can
adhere to them. : The fore-feet are
armed with spines; while the hind ones
are much longer, and suited for the work
they have to perform. The care which
the female takes for the preservation of
its eggs and the development of its larvae
is very curious. Instead of simply hiding
them, like other beetles, in a lump of
mud or some little cavity, where the egg
is laid, she surrounds it with manure, and
rolls it up into little ball with her hind
legs; soon it is a solid, well-kneaded
mass, with the egg in the center. AL
ready choice has been made of a suit
able place where the larvae, when
hatched, can find living. Toward this
point she sets out, rolling the ball before
her; meeting with some obstacle, or
rough piece of ground, she places the
lump on her broad head, and thus carries
it over. But should it prove insurmount-
able, she flies off to seek other aid, and
soon returns with five or six others, who
assist her by pushing on all sides, and
thus carry the precious burden to its des-
:tination. Then the hole must be dug in
which to deposit 1.-THE fore-legs now
come into play, being especially formed
for spades-and when it is deep enough
the bah is rolled in, the hind-legs brush
down the earth, and every trace of the
hole disappears under the parents indie
,fatigable labor.-Haaper's Weekly.