Economic entomology for the farmer and fruit-grower : and for use as a text-book in agricultural schools and colleges . nd all the larvae of thisfamily feed in decaying wood, andpreferably in stumps or in roots. Thustheir function is rather as scavengers,and never as destroyers of vegetablelife. The larva of the Passalus cornutusis interesting, because it has four legsonly, one pair being entirely aborted. In the family Scarabceidce the leavesof the antennal club are always closetogether when at rest, but can be spreadout fan-like at the will of the insect,exposing the numerous sensory pitting
Economic entomology for the farmer and fruit-grower : and for use as a text-book in agricultural schools and colleges . nd all the larvae of thisfamily feed in decaying wood, andpreferably in stumps or in roots. Thustheir function is rather as scavengers,and never as destroyers of vegetablelife. The larva of the Passalus cornutusis interesting, because it has four legsonly, one pair being entirely aborted. In the family Scarabceidce the leavesof the antennal club are always closetogether when at rest, but can be spreadout fan-like at the will of the insect,exposing the numerous sensory pittingswith which they are closely set. Thelegs are always fitted for digging. At the beginning we meet a series ofspecies that are scavengers, living ondecaying or excrementitious matter. Some of them are largeand have the curious habit of making balls of dung, in each ofwhich an &^g is laid. The balls are then buried beneath thesurface, and each furnishes sufficient food to bring one larva tomaturity. When the ball is made up on a road or other hardsurface, the insects roll it to some more suitable place, and have. ipS ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY. Fig. i86. therefore received the popular name tumble-bugs. The beetles are usuallyblackish or bronzebrown in color, butsometimes bril-liantly metallic blue,green, coppery, orbronzed, and oftenwe find in the malea prominent, curvedhorn on the top ofthe head, and angu-lar processes on thethorax. Other large ormoderate-sized spe-cies make holesclose to or underdroppings in fields,working mostly atnight, and leavingevidences of theirpresence in theshape of little piles of fresh dirt next to or even on top of thedroppings; cow-dung being the favorite food. These beetles usually have deeply striated wing-covers, are more stockily builtthan those previously mentioned,and belong mostly to the genusGeotrypes. A series of small, more slenderor oblong, black or reddish beetlesis often found in considerable num-bers burrowing in or under excre-ment, and
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectinsectp, bookyear1906
