. Coleoptera : general introduction and Cicindelidae and Paussidae. excrescences is most remarkable,and their significance is not known; they do not appear to beused for any work, fossorial or otherwise, as they show no marksof being worn, and they are certainly not used for fighting, asthey are very seldom broken or mutilated ; in fact they seem tobe an encumbrance rather than an advantage. Darwin (Descentof Man, 1st edition, i, p. 371), after discussing the question, saysthat the conclusion which best agrees with the fact of the hornshaving been so immensely, yet not fixedly, developed—as sh
. Coleoptera : general introduction and Cicindelidae and Paussidae. excrescences is most remarkable,and their significance is not known; they do not appear to beused for any work, fossorial or otherwise, as they show no marksof being worn, and they are certainly not used for fighting, asthey are very seldom broken or mutilated ; in fact they seem tobe an encumbrance rather than an advantage. Darwin (Descentof Man, 1st edition, i, p. 371), after discussing the question, saysthat the conclusion which best agrees with the fact of the hornshaving been so immensely, yet not fixedly, developed—as shown 214 INTRODUCTION. by their extreme variability in the same species, and by theirextensive diversity in closely allied species —is that they have been acquired as ornaments. This view will at first appearextremely improbable, but we shall hereafter find with manyanimals standing much higher in the scale, namely, fishes, amphi-bians, reptiles, and birds, that various kinds of crests, knobs,horns, and combs have been developed apparently for the Fig. 96.—Xylotrupes gideon. Larva x |. (After Schiodte.) We very much doubt this theory, and it is possible that theremay be no explanation further than the fact that these growthsare the outcome of a cell-stimulus of which at present we knownothing. These gigantic species, in spite of their formidable appearance,,are quite harmless. They are mostly nocturnal or crepuscular intheir habits, and live in the hollows of old trees, feeding onexuding sap. Their colouring, therefore, is mostly of a sombredescription, black or brown ; one fine Indian species, Chalcosomaatlas, is plainly, but not strongly, metallic. scaeabjeidje. 2115: The larvae of the Dynastlnte appear to be intermediate betweenthose of the MelolontiilnvE and the Cetoktim. That of Xylo-trupes r/ideon, L., is figured and described by Schiodte ( ix, p. 287, pi. viii), who also gives details of the larva ofOryctes nasicornis, L. (p. 290, pi. x). T
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