TJIE (IKOUNJ) IJKl'ri'LKS. 37 



1li(' h.-isnl (UK'S ) covered with a iiiiiiule piil)e.s( ciice ; ei)iiiiei'a and epi- 

 slenia ol' thorax disliiiel ; abdomen with six, rarely {Brachinini} 

 with seven ventral segments, the tirsl visible only at the sides; legs 

 slendei-. the liind ones not vei'y difVei'ent from the middle pair; 

 front and iinddle eoxa' ,i;lo!>nlar. Innd coxa' dilated on the iinier 

 side; tarsi r)-jointed. 



The majority of the spivies ol' ('arabida' are predaeeoiis and 

 benetieial, feeding in pari npen tlu' lai'va' and mature foi-ms of 

 other insects; their month parts b<'ing excellently adapted to catch- 

 ing and masticatiiiL;- such food. Dr. S. x\. E'orbes examined 175 

 specimens i'e[n'esenting .'iS s])e;Mes and 20 genera. Of these 83 speei- 

 inens, obtaiiietl ui miscellaneous sit nations, had derived 42 per eent. 

 of their food from the animal kingdom, while of 70 specimens taken 

 in an orchard v>lii-re canker-worms were abundant, 77 per eent. of 

 their food was of animal origin, 21 per eent. being canker-worms. 

 Of the 175 specimens examined, 57 per cent, of the food wa,s of ani- 

 mal origin. 36 per eent. being eomposed of the remains of inseets; 

 the other 21 per cent, being made up of moUusks, earthworms, myra- 

 pods and araehnida*. The vegetal)h> matter eaten was composed of 

 the remains of eryptogamie plants and the pollen of grasses and 

 romposita\* 



A few members, especially those belonging to the genera Tlar- 

 palus, Aiiisodactjjhis and Awara, are seed eaters and probably do 

 more damage than good ; wliile the lai'va* of OmopJiron and some of 

 the species of Clivina have been known to be quite destructive to the 

 soft sprouting grains of corn. However, on account of their great 

 numliei's aiul predac(M)us habits, l)oth in tlie lai-val and perfect 

 stages, our Carabida' doubtless play an impm-tant ]>ai't in holding 

 in cheek the excessive midtiplication of other and more injuri(»us in- 

 sect forms. 



Th(^ larva' of the Tarabida- are mostly long, flattened gi'ulis, 

 with the ])ody of nearly e((ual breadth throughout. They have sharp 

 projecting' maiulililes and tlie hind end of the bodv bears a pair of 

 conical liristly a]uiendages. Like the a<lults they are predaceous. 

 living in ])urrows just iK'neatb the surface of the ground, and feed- 

 ing u])'n the soft bodice] larva oi' man\- leaf eating insects which 

 enter tlie gi'ouud tr» d'ansfcu-m. AVlieti fnllv '.-rown they chanu'e to 

 pupa^ under irromid in small earthen cells which thev form for this 

 purpose. Wlu'u rea'l\- to emeru'c as imaaoes, the color changes 



*"The Fq()(1 R"latioiH of the Ciriibidai and Cocciitellida^," in Bull. Ni>. ti. Ill, L-ih. Nat, Hist, 1883, 



