. The transformations (or metamorphoses) of insects (Insecta, Myriapoda, Arachnida, and Crustacea) : being an adaptation, for English readers, of M. Émile Blanchard's "Metamorphoses, moeurs et instincts des insects;" and a compilation from the works of Newport, Charles Darwin, Spence Bate, Fritz Müller, Packard, Lubbock, Stainton, and others. aped mass divided into leaflets, and the mandibles are pro-jecting. They are found principally in Europe and NorthAmerica. The members of the genus NccropJiorus, the Sexton Beetles,have a thick body, stout legs, and their hind thighs are more orless enlar
. The transformations (or metamorphoses) of insects (Insecta, Myriapoda, Arachnida, and Crustacea) : being an adaptation, for English readers, of M. Émile Blanchard's "Metamorphoses, moeurs et instincts des insects;" and a compilation from the works of Newport, Charles Darwin, Spence Bate, Fritz Müller, Packard, Lubbock, Stainton, and others. aped mass divided into leaflets, and the mandibles are pro-jecting. They are found principally in Europe and NorthAmerica. The members of the genus NccropJiorus, the Sexton Beetles,have a thick body, stout legs, and their hind thighs are more orless enlarged. One species is particularly interesting, on accountof its remarkable habits. Nccrophonts vcspillo is common throughout the greater part ofluu-ope, and may be readily recognised by its colour. It is black,and is ornamented with yellow hairs on the side of the body ;the club end of the antenUie are reddish, and the elytra are 284 TRANSFORMATIONS OF INSECTS. crossed by two broad bands of a light red tint. When the deadbody of a mole or a field-mouse is left in the fields, the sextonbeetles soon find it out, and begin to collect around in consider-able numbers. They are not going to eat the corpse, but theyintend to lay their eggs in it. If the body is allowed to remainexposed to the air, it will dry up, or be eaten by other animals,. THE METAMORPHOSES OF THE SEXTON BEETLE (NecrOp/lOrilS vefpillo). so that if any larvje were therein they would be destroyed, or theywould perish for want of food. But the sextons have an instinctwhich prevents their young from being exposed to such dangers,and they set to work and bury the body, so that their larvae cannourish themselves upon it without being disturbed. They hollowout the ground beneath the body, and make a tolerably deep holeby throwing out the soil with their large legs ; then the animal THE NECROPHORL 285 sinks down, and they cover it up with the earth which had col-lected around the margin of the pit. These beetles are rema
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjec, booksubjectcrustacea
