mi JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVIII. 



furnished on the back with a pair of strong hooks ; the larva supports 

 itself at the top of the burrow by means of these hooks and its 

 terminal tube and blocks the mouth of the tunnel with its large 

 head and prothorax and in this position waits for its prey (vide Fig. 

 3 22). This consists of insects which may alight upon it or run over 

 it. When an insect comes within reach, the head of the larva is 

 thrown back with a rapid jerk, the prey is siezed by the long sharp 

 mandibles, dragged to the bottom of the burrow and devoured. 

 Readers will note that there is some similarity in the method of 

 capturing their prey between the larva of the Ant Lion (vide supra) 

 and that of the tiger-beetle. Few Cicindelid larva? are known but 

 the ones studied all appear to possess the same structure and to 

 have the same habits. Little unfortunately is at present known 

 about them in India. 



The greater majority of the Cicindelas are inhabitants of the tropical 

 and semi-tropical regions of the globe and beyond the fact that we 

 are aware that they are predaceous upon other insect life their life 

 histories have been very inadequately studied. Whether they 

 confine themselves to particular forms or species of insect life or 

 whether they are omnivorus in this respect is a point of considerable 

 interest and also of economic utility and one which requires close 

 study. Some members of the family are wingless, whilst others, 

 such as C. octonotata, are particularly active on the wing. Some, 

 it is thought, only frequent ' white ant ' or termite heaps or 

 nests. 



A common Indian species is the little green six-spotted tiger-beetle, 



Cicindela punctata, with green elytra each with 



o orange red spots on them (Fig. 123) which is 



predaceous upon the rice bug in the rice fields 



of Bengal where it can be found numerously 



in the rains. It flies and runs with great 



activity. Cicindela octonotata, the 8-spotted 



tiger-beetle (Fig. 121) (brilliant green with red 



Fig. 123. spots), already alluded to is to be found plenti- 



, " Jf ,„ e ful on the stony river beds of the Sunkos, 

 Tiger-beetle (C«V?»- . J 



dela sex-punctata) Reidak and other rivers in Assam near their 

 (Bengal). debouchment from the Bhutan Hills. 



