6

Bead. This worm makes a perpendicular, round hole Il the ground, kepitig its head at the entrance, in order to catch the insects that chance to fail into the hole. These den vouring tyrants t the insect world, will sometimes, by ths stratagem, perforate a piece of ground in a surprising manner.

There are but few species of the genus Buprestis, or Cow-burner, seen in Europe; and they are very inferior in size and splendour to those of India and America, though some of them are elegy ntly adorned,

ihe Buprestis gigantea is a native o' India, China, and South-America, and is distinguished for the glowing brilliancy of its cobars, which are displayed to great advantage from the fllagflitu(le of the insect, which is two inches and a half in length. The thorax is like polished bell-metal, and the wing-cases of a gilded copper-colour, with a cast of bluish green, rendered more dazzling by ridges the length of the elytra. This splendid insect is produced from a large white larva, that is said to ed upon the roots of the convolvolus tribe of plants.

My letter is already so long, that I must defer the remainder of the Coleoptera order to anotlier.

When I review the brilliant decorations of the