Sharp County record., 1880-09-09
BEETLES.

The great family of beetles is one of
the most important in the insect world.
In burning sandy plains, in tropical
jungles, in fresh green fields, in bogs
and swamps-wherever there is bit
of earth or water-there are beetles of
of one kind or another, following out
the instincts assigned to- them by
nature.
The beetle known as the sacred
scarab@us was held in great veneration
by the ancient Egyptians, and is carved
in great profuSion on their tombs.
Small gold and porcelain figures of the
scarab9us, which were strung on neck
laces, and used in other ways for per-
sonal ornaments, have also been found
in Egyptian sarcophagi.
The way the sacred scarab@us deposits
its eggs is q wonderful exhibition OF
animal instinct. First collecting an
ample supply of the material which the
young larvae will need for food, she
places her eggs in the middle of it.
She then rolls it into lump, and starts
with it on voyage of discovery. She
works backward, pushing the ball con-
tanning her eggs behind her, until she
finds soil in which she can burrow and
conceal her precious burden. It's said
to be for this popularity that the
scarabHus was veneratedby the ancient
Egyptians. The lump of earth con-
/ tanning the eggs was considered an
emblem of fruitfulness, and the devotion
of the scarabGus, which would lose its
life rather than its precious eggs,
was thought to symbolic the exceeding
love of the Creator toward men.
The tiger-beetles, of which there are
many varieties, are one of the most
important branches of the family.
They have great hooked jaws, formed
to seize the small insects upon which
they live. They can not exist in very
cold countries, and they are rarely
found in cultivated land, as they prefer
burrowing in loose, sandy soil, where
their little homes are not in danger of
being disturbed by the gardener S
spade. A remarkable tiger beetle is
the gold-cross of India, which has a
deep velvety black body, and golden
mark on its wings in shape like a st.
Andrews cross. The prevailing colors
of the tiger-beetle are black, green and
blue, but there Isl little Brazilian mem
ber of the family of a glistening
metallic crimson. 1t has very long
legs, and prefers climbing among the
foliage to living on the ground, like
most varieties of the tiger-beetle. Its
movements are very quick. 1t will
pounce like lightning on fly, which can
rarely escape the grasp of this formid-
able enemy.
A very curious beetle is the bombar-
dier, brown creature with green gloss
on its wings. 1t carries little bomb-shell,
which uses as weapon ofdefense when
disturbed by an enemy. 1t is very
sociable little bug, and will gather in
a crowd under big flat stones in damp
places. If the stone is suddenly over
turned, the bombardiers at once begin
a cannonade like the explosion of a grain
of gunpowder, and threw out puff of
whitish vapor resembling smoke. The
bombardiers of South America, China,
and other warm countries, are much
larger than those found in England, and
the fluid they eject, which causes the
tiny explosion, is capable of making a
black stain, and leave an unpleasant
burning sensation upon the hand of any
one trying to capture them.
A large number of the beetle family
is found in Nicaragua. 1t is about five
inches long, and is called the big
bodied elephant. 1t is black in color,
but appears of a yellowish-chestnut, as
it is entirely covered with thick, soft
fur, something like the down on but
terHy's wing, which rubs off very easily,
and shows the scaly black surface be-
meath. The big-bodied elephant is
armed with q formidable black horn,
forked at the end, which curves upward
like the horn of white rhiuoceroS.
Certain species of the elater beetles
are familiar to every school-boy. Elater
signifies striking or bounding. Boys
will know better what is meant by an
elater beetle if they are told that it is
the same thing as skip Jack, or snap
ping-bug. If this beetle is laid on its
back, its legs are unable to reach to
either side and gain foot-hOld, and it
cannot roll over. 1t accordingly goes
through gYmnastic movement. Curl
ing its legs closely to its body, it arches
itself little, and suddenly springs into
the air, landing on its feet, in which
position it is again master of itself.
The most remarkable among the
elater beetles is the cuculio, or FREELY,
of the tropics. 1t is very common
looking dark brown beetle in the day
time, the two beads, one on each side
of its head, which at night are so lu-
minous and beautiful, being dull white.
But wait until night comes, and then
what countless pairs of tiny yellow
green lanterns are flying over the fields,
and creeping about among the foliage!
BOYS and girls in Cuba make cages OF