THE CANADIAN P:NT0M0L0GIST. 229 



devoured, for I have noticed that where it comes in contact with the net, 

 holes will appear much sooner than elsewhere. This also explains its 

 sweet, honey-like smell, and probably taste, which it would need in order 

 to make the insects' food agreeable to it. Undoubtedly this fluid helps 

 much in digestion. When one of the beetles is held in the fingers, it will 

 attempt to bite with its mandibles ; but, finding it is unable to pierce the 

 skin, it emits an abundance of the fluid upon it. Though it may not 

 really intend to eat a person, this may be a mechanical action, which is 

 performed whenever the insect feels a desire to use its jaws effectively. 



When the female sexual organ is forced out, it is often found covered 

 with a pure white milky fluid, but sometimes this fluid is of a drab color. 



This species assimilates well in color with its surroundings, but of this 

 I will speak more fully elsewhere. I have several times noticed specimens 

 alight on old rail fences, and also on stumps in the edge of woods ; these 

 are variations from their usual habits. As to their flight, it is sometimes 

 very irregular, continuing so for a considerable distance ; and they even 

 occasionally hover (just for a moment, apparently in uncertainty) pre- 

 paratory to alighting. I have often observed quite long flights in this 

 species, though generally not above a certain height. However, I noticed 

 one which was unusually high. The specimen having flown up from the 

 sand, rose higher and higher in the air, sailing continually from me, until 

 I lost sight of it from the distance. It must have risen fifteen feet at the 

 least, and continued sailing at this height (flight while rising also included) 

 for sixty or seventy feet, and was still rising and sailing on when I could 

 no longer distinguish it on account of the distance. This flight out-does 

 all I have ever observed in this species. The wind probably aided it 

 some, but there was only a moderate breeze at the time. 



I witnessed some curious actions one day on the part of one of these 

 tiger beetles. A male specimen rushed several times at a large wasp 

 which was making a hole in the sand near by ; and once it ran into the 

 hole (which was in the side of a bank), but immediately reappeared, 

 whereupon I captured it. The beetle was perhaps anxious to secure the 

 egg, which it knew the wasp would deposit in the sand ; or, still more 

 likely, was in quest of the insect victims with whicli many of the Hymen- 

 optera stock their nests. 



I have often noticed specimens of this species, which are unable to 

 fly, but are very active on their legs, running extremely fast and dodging 



