Unicorn Beetle
(Copris lunaris). This can scarcely be included among Garden Insects, strictly so called; yet a brief notice of it will not be out of place, as it may at times be found in gardens in the South-east of England, especially around London, and is sure to attract notice on account of the curious horn on the head. The general form is shown in Fig. 143, which is, however, about twice the natural size. The colour is glossy black, with a fringe of chestnut hairs round the edge of the body. The head and thorax of the males bear outgrowths or horns, as shown in the figure. The wing-cases are grooved lengthwise. The horns of the females are much less conspicuous. These Beetles are beneficial, rather than otherwise, in gardens, inasmuch as the females make burrows in the soil, and carry dung into them for the nourishment of the larvae, which are hatched from eggs deposited among it.