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TIGER BEETLES. 

 Family Cicindellidae. 



(Plate 31, Figs, i, 2 and 3.) 



This is a small family of carnivorous beetles, and 

 worth noticing, if only for the curious formation 

 of the larvae. 



The adult is easily distinguished from carab by 

 the very prominent eyes, and longer and narrower 

 prothorax. The legs are very strong, and speci- 

 ally fitted for running, for it chases its prey. 

 The mouth is very strong, and suitable for seizing 

 and holding. These beetles are found in sandy 

 districts^ — along the seashores, and beside pools. 

 They hunt chiefly at night. 



The larva (Plate 31, Figs, i and 2) is a dirty 

 looking grub with a very large head, and thorax 

 bent at an angle, and on the fifth segment is a hump 

 with two hooks on it. (Plate 31, Fig. 2a.) The larva 

 bores a vertical tunnel sometimes a foot deep. It 

 plugs up the hole of the tunnel with its head, and 

 should some luckless victim walk over it, it is 

 seized in its powerful jaws, taken down, and eaten. 

 The hump and hook help to keep the grub in the 

 position at the mouth of the burrow. The female lays 

 eggs in the ground, and the larva pupates in the soil. 



A common type is Cicindela ypsUoUy found on the 

 beaches of the coast. 



