FAMILY CAnABID.E. 41 



' •' You si'O, tlieu, gentloiiion," says M. Boisi^iual d, in cunclusicii, " that it is indispcn- 

 s<il>Ic to study the maunersand habits of destructive insects, that their instinct and address 

 may be successfully employed for the destruction of the species able to do us injury. Then 

 in place of barbarously crushing the useful sjiecics which have the misfortune to be n<jt 

 always ornamented with the rich colors of the buttt-rfly or the bujjrii,lis^ we will endeavor 

 t.> protect (hem and proi)agale their race. We will find auxiliaries in them the more 

 valuable, as they increase with our adversaries, and as they alone are able to rival the 

 cunning of these ingenious enemies," ' 



n r a c li i n i (I c s. 



TuE sub-family Bracuisides may be known by the shnrlness of the wing-covers, which 

 are not sulfuiently prolonged to cover the extremity of the abdomen. In addition to this 

 character, the head and tlmrax are narrower than the alidomen. The labium is often oval 

 or sijuare, and is occasionally furnished with two small lateral linear lobes. The penulti- 

 mate joint of the tarsi is bilobed in many of the small species : the anterior tarsi of the 

 males are, very rarely, dilated at the base. Some species are destitute of wings ( West- 



WOOl)). 



The most curious fact connected with the natural history of this subfamily is the 

 means by which they defend themselves against the attack of an enemy. AVhen pursued, 

 they suildenly discbarge from behind a highly volatile and elastic fluid, possessing con- 

 siderable pungency : this sudden discharge, which is accompanied with an explosion, 

 both irritates and confuses the pursuer, so that the intended victim has opportunity to 

 escape. From this singular mode of defence, these insects have received the name of 

 bombardiers. The fluid discharged is caustic, and stain> the skin yellowish brown. They 

 live under stones, logs or boards in fields. Several individuals are often found in the 

 spring together, as if their habits were of a social nature. 



Genus BRACIIINUS (Webek). 

 • Body oval, cinvex; thorax narrow; labruiii transverse; tarsi simple; palpi filiform; 

 ' claws simple.' Westwood. 



Braciuncs PEuri.Kxis (Dj.). ( Plate xvii, fig. 7.) 



Head, thorax, abdomen ami legs light brick-red. Elytra ^hll^h Idack. faintly gnx.ved. 



BnAciii.vrs cepuai.otes ( Dj.). ( Plate xviii, fig. J.) 



Head, tli'-rax, abdomen and legs light brick-red. Elvira bluc-greeii, or with a reflexion 

 of green ; the metallic hues stronger than in the perplerus : body also proiwrtionally 

 shorter, and more obtuse Ijehiml. Length ab..ut three-tenths of an inch. 



[ AOBICULTUBAL RepORT — VoL. v.] G 



