272 MISSOURI STATE HOKTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



three-fourths inch in length — graceful in form and movement, and, in 

 many instances, richly colored and ornamented. These insects are not 

 unworthy of their fierce and beautiful fe-line namesake. They prey 

 indiscriminately on all other species that they are able to capture. The 

 larvae are as ugly as the perfect insects are attractive, characterized 

 by enormous head and jaws, sprangling legs and various abdominal 

 bristles and hooks. They bore vertical holes in the earth, sometimes 

 to the depth of ten or twelve inches and about one-fourth inch in 

 diameter. At the mouth of these holes they lie in wait for their prey. 

 The passing insect is seized with lightning rapidity in the vice like 

 jaws and dragged to the bottom of the tunnel and devoured. 



Teirac/m virffinica^ Hope, the largest of our native species, of a 

 brilliant metallic green color, has been observed doing great execution 

 among the larvae of the Colorado potato beetle. 



The ground beetles {carabiche), with few and unimportant excep- 

 tions, are fiercely predaceous, and as this family includes a vast num- 

 ber of species, it follows that they destioy a proportionate host, most 

 of which are destructive to field and garden products. The ground 

 beetles seldom rise in the air — some species being actually incapable 

 of flight — but their legs being long and strong they run with great 

 facility, with motions very similar to those of a hunting dog. As 

 their popular name implies, they are usually found on the 

 ground, but occasionally on the trunks of trees which they 

 have ascended in pursuit of their prey. Their larvae are 

 elongate, active, horny grubs that burrow in every direction un- 

 der ground, devouring all soft-bodied larvag that they may come 

 across. The most conspicuous species are the Kiniimaging Ground- 

 beetle {Calosoma scrutator, Fabr ), the Fiery Ground-beetle {C- calid- 

 ium, Fabr.), the Murkj^ Ground beetle {Havpalus calignosus, Say), the 

 Elongate Ground beetle {Pasimachus elongatus, hec), etc. The first 

 of these is a large and handsome beetle, over an inch long, with me- 

 tallic green wing covers, and the remaining parts of the body glitter- 

 ing in blue, gold, green and bronze. The second is somewhat smaller, 

 black in color, with three longitudinal rows of burnished, coppery im- 

 pressed spots on each wing cover. The Murky Ground beetle is dull 

 black, and almost regularly oval in form, while the Elongate species is 

 polished jet blaciv, margined with violet blue. These species are all 

 easily recognized and 8h<'uld never be wantonly destroyed. They 

 have been observed, either in their perfect or immature states, devour- 

 ing many of the most destructive worms and grubs that infest our 

 orchards and gardens, such as the canker-worm, the curculio, the cod- 

 ling moth and the larva of the Potato-beetle. 



