152 Tiger Beetles of California. [ZOE 
All species of the prostrate Euphorbias are known as “ golon- 
drina’’ and are all supposed to be specifics for snake bites. 
The shape of the leaves suggests undoubtedly the names of many 
plants ; for instance some small abutilons with heart-shaped leaves 
are called ‘‘ corazon de Jesus’’ and a leguminous plant having sim- 
ilar shaped leaves is ‘‘corazon de Maria” (heart of Mary); ‘“ ufia 
de gato” (cat’s claw) belongs to several species of different genera 
of Leguminose and ‘‘ ufia de gavilan’’ (hawk’s claw) is a name for 
Panicum crus-galli. Some have received names in honor of the 
saints, as ‘‘palo de San Juan” (St. John’s tree); ‘‘ flor de San 
Miguel’’ (St. Michael’s flower); “ palo verde” (green tree) is the 
name of a tree with green bark (Parkinsonia); ‘‘ palo amarillo’”’ 
(yellow tree) is the name of the yellow-wooded Esenbeckia. Some 
trees and plants are known by names that seem to be wholly inap- 
propriate; why Cassia occidentalis is called ‘‘ palo de zorillo”” (skunk 
tree) when it possesses nothing to suggest such a name, I have never 
been able to discover and the origin of the name “‘palo de Adam”’ 
(the tree of Adam), a name for Fouguieria, seems equally vague 
unless its habit of clothing itself with leaves after every rainfall may 
suggest it. 
THE TIGER BEETLES OF CALIFORNIA. 
BY GEORGE W. DUNN. 
The ocean beach is a favorite place for a collector of coleopterous 
insects; the shallow pools sheltered from the high winds, the sloping © 
banks left moist from the receding tide, the numerous sand dunes 
piled up by constant winds along the shore, are always rich in 
animal life. 
Among the many forms found, especially in such localities, there 
are none more conspicuous than the species belonging to the genus 
Cicindela, popularly called the tiger beetle, perhaps because they 
bear, with their large heads, prominent eyes, scissor-like jaws, their 
light bodies of elegant form and brilliant color, their quick move- 
ments and ferocious habits, the same relation to other insects, that 
the tiger does to other mammals. They may be seen on any bright 
sunny day, running rapidly along on the damp or sandy ground, 
seeking small insects, which they readily capture and devour; in 
damp, or cloudy weather, they will be sought in vain. They fly a 
