THE CARABIDyE. 299 



The most ferocious insects of the order of the Coleoptera are 

 the CarabidcB, and they are essentially carnivorous, being fur- 

 nished with powerful offensive weapons in the form of cutting 

 mandibles, and being able to run very rapidly. Their bodies are 

 almost always elongated in form ; the antennae are long and cylin- 

 drical, like threads, and the legs are admirably adapted for run- 

 ning, but not particularly so for climbing over leaves. But it is 

 the conformation of the jaws that furnishes the most remarkable 

 characteristic of the family. The mouth-pieces have two palpi, 

 the external lobe of the jaw being fashioned into a true palp, 

 which is divided into two or three joints, as is the case in the 

 Dytiscid(2, which are aquatic carnivorous beetles. This character 

 is not found in other families, and thus becomes important. 

 The males have the front tarsi enlarged, and they hold the females 

 by them when they do not wish to dispense with their company. 

 The larvae of these Coleoptera are as carnivorous as the adults, 

 and most of them hunt their prey and run it down, so they are 

 encased in more or less solid armour, the head and the segments 

 of the thorax and abdomen being clothed with coriaceous inte- 

 guments. Their mandibles, which are arched like sickles, have 

 a large tooth at their base, and in some species there are other 

 long and sharp teeth, which give these structures a very terrible 

 appearance. Their bi-lobed jaws have a single palp of four joints ; 

 their legs, which are long, usually end in a tarsus, which consists 

 of two joints; and the end of the abdomen is generally furnished 

 with two jointed appendages and a tubercle, which enable them 

 to walk. 



There are two principal forms or types in this family. The 

 Carabidcs and the Cicmdelidcz, and the genus Carahis is an 

 example of the first. They are for the most part large, bril- 

 liantly coloured beetles ; and their peculiar shaped heads, their 

 long legs, and their beautifully armoured bodies not only are 

 very elegant, but give them a fierce aspect. They are usually 

 found concealed under stones or amongst moss at the foot of 

 trees ; and the common Carabus auratiis is constantly seen 

 running about the roads and fields in search of prey. It destroys 

 a great number of insects, which do much mischief to agricul- 

 ture, but of course country people crush them whenever they 



