138 



ELEMENTARY ENTOMOLOGY 



is a decided hump, and surmounting it are strong, curved spines 

 which serve as an anchor, so that a captured insect cannot drag the 



larva from its burrow. The vo- 

 racity of these beetles makes the 

 name "tiger-beetle" fitting, but un- 

 fortunately they are of little bene- 

 fit to the farmer, as they do not 

 frequent cultivated fields, and though they de- 

 stroy many insects, but few of them are of any 

 economic importance. The brilliant green species 

 are favorites of collectors, and one must be some- 

 thing of a sportsman to secure many of them, so 

 readily do they fly. Like many other active insects 

 they may often be easily caught towards sundown. 

 Ground-beetles. Upon turning over a stone 

 or a log, one frequently sees small, flat, black 

 beetles scurrying away, which belong to the fam- 

 ily of ground-beetles (Carabidae]. Their name is 

 indicative of their habits, as their long legs fit 



FIG. 191. A tiger- 

 beetle and its lar- 

 va in its burrow. 

 (Natural size) 



(After Linville and 

 Kelly) 



them for chas- 

 ing rapidly over 

 the ground in 

 pursuit of small 

 insects, though 

 some of them 

 ascend trees in 

 search of cater- 

 pillars. This is 

 a large family, 

 which has some 

 twelve hundred 

 species in this 

 country, and as 

 both larvae and 



FlG. 192. A ground-beetle (Calosoma sp.) feeding on 

 cutworm ; below, a species of Carabus 



(After Brehm) 



