The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-07-05
they are provided. Their habit is to hide
stones


under stones in large numbers, and when
the stones are disturbed, they eject a
quantity of vaporous fluid with a loud
noise; it is pungent, acrid, and volatile,
becoming blush vapor when mixed with
the air. Chemical tests prove it to be
strong acid, which will produce sense of
burning on the skin.
1t is to the family of beetles that the
cantharides belong, which have been used
by the medical profession from the days of
Hippocrates and Aretaus Not unlike
them in appearance are the pretty glow
worms, which light up the grassy banks of
our southern hedgerows during the sum-
mer nights. 1t is the female only that
possesses the phosphorescent light, which
it can withdraw at pleasure; and it is not
furnished with wings, so that it's appear
ance is more like that of larva than a
beetle. Some species find their homo in
timber or planks, instead of the ground
Every one knows the small holes which are
seen to be drilled through the wooden
floors of old houses; these are made when
the larvae change into beetles; and as they
are nocturnal in their habits, they discover
their whereabouts to their companions by
striking their mandibles against the wood.
From this simple noise has arisen the
superstitions dread of invalds and nurses,
who, in the dead of the night, hear the
death watch, and consider it as summons
T
ly from the attacks of a beetle of this class,
whole forests being sometimes laid low
under its insidious labors. The female
makes gallery beneath the bark, and,
boring side alleys, lays an egg in each;
when Matched, the young ones eat away in
regular directions until the whole tree is
pierced. In tropical countries the Larvae
are of much larger size, and their ravag-
es are more serious. The Titan, which is
found in Guiana, revels in the underground
of that hot, damp district, where vegeta-
ton is exuberant; and the mimosa trees in
the West Indies have their young shoots
destroyed by a lamia. NJ. Houllet, who
once lived in the neighborhood of Rio
Janeiro, heard the sound of falling branch
es of trees belonging to the acacia every
night On examination, he found they
were sawn all round but the pith was left
untouched, SO that they broke from their
own weight when the wind blew upon them.
1t was supposed to arise from the mischief
of the slaves; but on cutting into the
branch, the larvae of the ocideres we're
found, and the beetle had, no doubt, cut
round with it's powerful jaw, to prevent
the sap flowing in, which would interfere
with the growth of its young.
In such numerous family, only the
most curious examples have been selected;
but we may just mention the lady birds as
belonging to it, as they are such favorites
with little children. These pretty insects
are common in all quarters of the globe,
and are very valuable in checking the
swarms of insects which infest roses and
other plants. 1t is not in the adult state
that they eat much; but the gray larvae
may be seen creeping up the stems, and
swallowing the lice in regular ORDER
During the last few years, immense num-
bers have appeared in the south of Eng
land, and have been described as extending
in dense masses for miles. In conclusion
it may be said that the uses and instincts
of beetles are most wonderful. Plants
grow too fast, and the larvae settle ON
them; with wonderful appetite, they eat
necessarily, and make haste to reach their
full size. They fertilize the soil by scat
tering decomposing matters, and thus pre-
vent them from vitiating the air; while
their gorgeous colors compete with those
of the floral world and add to the charms
which Nature offers to the observer.