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 or the antennae are longer; in several species of Anthobium the siatural 

 corners of elytra in the ^ acutely produced. All sex-characters afford ex- 

 cellent specific characters. 



Staphylinids are mainly animals of prey; they attack and live of other 

 more feeble insects and their broods. This applies especially to all the 

 large or medium sized species, which therefore fittingly bear the name "Rove- 

 Beetles". However a considerable number live apparently also to some degree 

 on rotting animal and vegetable matter; others prefer outflowing tree- sap. 

 The species are found everywhere where sufficient nourishment is obtainable. 

 They are particularly numerous at rotting pleints and in compost, at manure, 

 carrion, in alluvium, on the strand under seaweed, in fungi, beneath bark 

 in the burrows of the bark beetle, and in the crumbles from gnawing, in hol- 

 lov" trees, at outflowing tree -sap; under leaves and moss, and under other 

 plant cover they are found everywhere, especially on damp ground, in masses; 

 very few species are found on flowers and flowering busches. Several spe- 

 cies are myrmecophilous and abide in or by ant-hills in capacity of friends, 

 foes or tolerated parasites; a few are found in humble-bee's nests and wasp 

 abodes, in bird's nests, mouse-nests, and in mole-dwellings etc. 



Family Staphylinidae occupies, as far as number of species is concerned, 

 absolutely the first place among our beetles. Inasmuch as there in this coun- 

 try is found of ground-beetles (Pam. Carabidae and Cicindelidae ) nearly 270 

 species, of snout-beetles (Fam. Curculionidae ) about lt20, and of leaf -beetles 

 (Fam. Chrysomelidae , Halticidae and Cassididae) about 23O species, the num- 

 ber of heretofore found Staphylinids is upward to 700 species, fully a fifth 



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