250 LIFE STORIES OF AUSTRALIAN INSECTS. 



flies off. One of the largest rove beetles is the Aus- 

 tralian "devil's coach horse," a name borrowed from 

 the large common Staphylinid beetle in England. It 

 has a red head, hence its specific name (Creophilus 

 crythrocephahis). We have found it in dung. 



Some staphylinid beetles are said to live in har- 

 mony with ants. Sharp thus describes one species : 

 "The beetles are never found out of ants' nests, or at 

 any rate, very far from them. The most friendly 

 relations exist between them and the ants ; they 

 have patches of yellow hairs, and these apparently 

 secrete some substances with a flavour agreeable to 

 the ants, which lick the beetle from time to time. 

 On the other hand the ants feed the beetles ; this 

 they do by regurgitating food, at the request of the 

 beetle, on to their lower lip, from which it is then 

 taken by the beetle. The beetles in many of their 

 movements exactly resemble the ants, and their 

 mode of requesting food, by stroking the ants in 

 certain ways, is quite ant-like." 



Other staphylinids are present in ants' nests, 

 but not as friendly guests. They attack the larvae 

 and eggs of ants, and even an adult (if one should 

 be alone). 



The larvae of rove beetles live on insects or re- 

 mains of animals — they are elongate and may have 

 two tail-pieces like the carabs, but have not such 

 stout legs. Mr. Zeck has recorded rove beetles 

 i-r. the nests of ants in New South Wales. 



