COLEOPTERA. 



483 



makes use of its wings ; to escape from birds it dives rapidly. This 

 activity, and this double sight, make the capture of the Gyri?ii a task 

 of great difficulty. They must be caught with a net. At the moment 

 of being seized they emit a milky and foetid liquid. 



The females lay their eggs end to end, on the leaves of aquatic 

 plants. The larvae are long and narrow, and of a dirty white. They 

 come out of the water at the end of the summer, and form for them- 

 selves a cocoon on the plants bordering the banks. After a month, 

 the perfect insect is hatched, and plunges into the water. The 

 Gyj'iniLs st?'iatus (Fig. 496) is found in the waters of southern 

 Europe. 



All these species are of small size, and do not exceed a fifth of 



Fig. 496.— Gyrinus striatus. Fig. 497.— Gyrinus distinctus. Fig. 498.— Epinectus sulcatus. 



an inch in length ; but in the tropics we find Gyrini two-thirds of an 

 inch long. One of these species, distincttis, exists in the litde lake of 

 Solazies, in Reunion Island, noted for its mineral waters. The 

 visitors amuse themselves by fishing for this insect with a line 

 baited with a bit of red cloth, which it attacks. It is found also in 

 a mineral spring in Algeria. The Epinedi (Fig. 498) are large 

 Gyrinidce from Brazil, with very long front legs. 



The carnivorous land insects /^r excelk?ice—\hosQ which are most 

 formidable, on account of their ravages and voracity— are the 

 Carabidce. This family, one of the most numerous of the Order 

 Coleoptera, consists of insects with long legs, and armed with 

 powerful mandibles, suited for tearing their victims to pieces. They 

 are the lions and the tigers of the Coleoptera, whilst the Necrophori 

 and the Silphoe play the part of hyaenas and jackals. The eyes of 

 the Carabidce are very prominent, which allows them to see their prey 



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