The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-07-24
Metallic Luster

What is all this talk about golden bugs
silver bugs, and straddle bugss Are
there any such creatures in the insect
world? The answer is, decidedly, yes
There are several species of bugs which
are reputed to contain considerable guam
titles of gold and silver. On account of
this belief, people sometimes gather them
and melt them. The most popular gold
producing insect is the golden rosechafer,
which is known to science as Cetonia
aurata. 1t is very handsome yellow
beetle. with II metallic luster, about as big
as the end of Il mans thumb.
But the most remarkable gold bugs in
the world are found in Central America
They belong to the genus Plusiotis, and
one might easily imagine Il specimen to
he the work of some clever artificer in
metal. The head and wing-cases are
brilliantly polished, with luster as of
gold itself. To sight and touch they have
all the seeming of metal, and it is hard
to realize that the creature is Il mere
animal. Oddly enough, there is another
species of Plusiotis, from the same region,
which has the appearance of being
wrought in solid silver, freshly burnish-
ed.
These gold and silver beetles have a
market value. They are worth from $50
10 $50 each. The finest collection of them
in existence to-day is owned by Walter
Rothschild, of the English banking firm.
Though young man, only twenty five
years OF age, lie has already spent 5000
600 on beetles. Every year he sends two
men to Central America to gather beetles
One of the most beautiful bugs in the
world is small beetle known 10 science
as the "blue Hoplia' It's back is an ex-
quisite iridescent sky blue, and the under
part of its body is of IL bright silver hue.
The notion that it contains silver is wide
~ entertained, and attempts have fire.
quently been made to extract silver from
it.
One of Napoleon's marshals. by the Iyay.
was Il great collector of insects. His
name was Dejean, and he was reputed
the handsomest man of his time He pro-
vided every soldier in one of his regi-
ments with a helmet that contained in its
top piece of cork. The men were ms
tructed, when on the march, to keep a
sharp lookout for beetles. and, whenever
they found one, to stick it in their helmets
with pin. Dejean made greater re-
putation as an entomologist than as n
military leader, and when he died in
1S49, he left behind him IA collection of
10000 species of beetles-the largest col
lection at that time in the world This
collection was scattered by sale, consid-
cradle part of it being purchased by an
enthusiast in the same line named Ober-
thur. Oberthur is still living. He and
his brother, who is collector of but
terflies, have a chateau at Rennes filled
with insects.
In parts of Europe the ignorant people
are confident in their belief that the so.
called ''silversmith' contains more or
less precious metal. 1t looks like a biz
June bug, its color being between silver
and gold. For both of these metals it has
been melted many and many n time. For
meriy 1T was supposed To be quite Il rari-
ty, so that IL specimen was worth 81 or
more. But it was discovered a few years
ago that this beautiful beetle was very
common in cottonwood trees, on the
leaves OF which it feeds, and it is cheap
enough now. If you know where such
trees are to be found you may gather
hundreds of the "silversmiths" in n dav
1t used to be commonly believed that
these insects lived exclusively in CHIN
neyS, and happy was the householder
who CHANGED upon one, for it was sup
posed to bring good luck and the promise
of wealth
The notion of extracting gold and sill
yer from insects seems to he of very an
SiNAo 4ISlii. w men people ldlI III the pro- |
cess, they are convinced usually that
there was something wrong with the
method employed. In Mexico the ma
tives believe that the surest way to find ,
gold or silver mine is to watch gold or
silver beetle and follow it. Panstaking-
ly pursued, it is almost sure to lead the
seeker to the deposit of precious metal,
or nayhap TO a buried treasure
Thus far only gold bugs and silver
bugs have been discussed; the s.radd!e
bugs remain to be considered This is
not so easy, because there is an extra
ordinary number of species One Euro
pean collector has succeeded in getting
together %, 600 species Of straddle bugs.
The straddle bugs are dung beetles: they
are the little fellows who roll balls of
animal eXcrement and lay their eggs in
them. When the eggs are Matched the
young larvae feed on the material OF the
ball until they are able to take care of
themselves. Some of the straddle bugs
have huge horns and are very queer
looking creatures indeed -Washincton
Post
CONDENSED TESTIMONY.
Chas. b. Hood, Broker and Manufac-
turer's Agent, Columbus, Ohio, certifies
that DIR. Kings New Discovery has no