158 



THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Fk; 



Fh;. 



Ground-beetles {Carahidie), which form a very large family, the members of 



which resemble each other closely in general ajjpear- 

 ance, and, with few exceptions, are very 

 hard to name correctly. Fig. 19 {Har- 

 palus caliginosus) represents a common 

 shape and the prevailing black colour; 

 (fig, 20) the Bombardier beetle {Bra- 

 c/iifius), so called from its remarkable 

 power of discharging a very pungent fluid, 

 accompanied by a slight report and some 

 smoke-like vapour ; this will stain the 

 captor's fingers, and is evidently a means of defence 

 against ordinary enemies ; the head and thorax of this beetle are yellowish- 

 red, and its wing-covers dark blue. 



A large and handsome beetle of this family will also be occasionally 

 met with — the Caterpillar-hunter — {Calosojua cali- 

 dum), fig. 21. It is black, with rows of bright 

 coppery spots on the wing-covers, and may be at 

 once recognized from the figure. When handled it 

 leaves on the fingers a persistent odour that is not 



very agreeable. With these 



ground beetles the collector 



is sure to find some very 



pretty silky-green specimens 



of medium size {Chicenius 



se7-ice7is). 



Let the explorer now turn to the water. In 

 shallow ponds in fields and meadows, which drv 

 up in summer, there will usually be found a variety 

 of swiftly-swimming water-beetles ; one of the 

 largest, Dytiscus Hcirrisii^ is shown in fig. 22. 

 These are by no means easy to catch, but with a 

 long handled water-net one may have exciting sport 

 and fair success. In the mud, or running over it, 

 on the margins of jiools and streams, many minute 

 species of beetles will also be found. 



The enthusiastic collector is not apt to be fastidious, and will not. 

 therefore, hesitate to turn over horse and cow manure, under the masses of 



Fu;. 



