Capricorn Beetle (Cerambyx Lamia amputator) rounding off the bark of a tree.
The burrows and cocoons of two other species of Cerambyx are shown in the accompanying illustration, and in both cases may be seen the provision which is made for the exit of the beetle after it has attained the perfect condition. The double burrow of the left is that of Cerambyx carcharias, and those on the right-hand figure are the habitations of Cerambyx populneus. The reader will see how these insects cut up the wood of the branch, and can well understand the infinite mischief which can be done to a coffee plantation by the Clytus.
The last wood-boring beetle which will be mentioned is the stag-beetle of our own country. In the larval state this insect resides in tree trunks, mostly towards the roots, and therefore escapes observation more successfully than would be the case if it inhabited a higher portion of the tree. When full-grown, the larva is of enormous size, and the hole which it bores is necessarily of corresponding dimensions. In some parts of England, the larvæ are popularly called “Joe Bassetts,” and are said to turn into “Pincher Bobs.” The latter title is a very appropriate one, as any one can testify who has allowed a fine male stag-beetle to grip his finger between its jaws. As to the Joe Bassett, it is simply a local name.]
Cerambyx carcharias. Cerambyx populneus.
STRUCTURES OF GRASSHOPPERS, CRICKETS, AND BEETLES.
Grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, and beetles are, in many respects, no less interesting than the insects whose architectural proceedings we have already detailed. They do not, indeed, build any edifice for the accommodation of themselves or their progeny; but most, if not all of them, excavate retreats in walls or in the ground.