220 Bugs, Butterflies, and Beetles 



ing is probably done as a means of defense against 

 just such enemies as the fierce Calisoma beetle 

 might be. 



Some of the Harpalus beetles do not look at 

 all like the Bombardiers, for they are large, heavy- 

 set individuals with an almost square pro-thorax. 

 Every time you meet one, smooth him on the back 

 and tell him what a fine fellow he is, because these 

 beetles feed on cut-worms, which any man who has 

 run a garden knows are the sort of garden sub- 

 marines which loaf around under ground ready to 

 attack a neutral, and the meanest and most annoy- 

 ing insects on a farm. 



There is a funny Harpalus beetle without eyes 

 which inhabits the Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. 

 There are no gardens, no beds of radishes or lettuce 

 in the cave, but for aught we know there may be 

 blind cut-worms there for the blind Harpalus to 

 feed upon. There are blind fish and blind craw- 

 fish, and in some Kentucky caves I have visited I 

 have seen thousands of blind katydids, so there is 

 no reason why there should not be blind cut- worms 

 and it is a pity that all of them are not deaf, dumb, 

 blind and paralyzed. 



