INDIRECT BENEFITS DERIVED FROM INSECTS. 27 1 



tivorous. One of the most destructive is the grub of 

 a very beautiful species, an English specimen of which 

 would 1)6 a great acquisition to youj' cabinet, it being 

 one of our rarest insects*, I mean Calosoma St/cophanta. 

 This animal takes up its station in the nests of Bomht/x 

 processioned and other motlis, aiul sometimes fills itself 

 so full witii these caterpillars, which we cannot handle 

 or even approach without injury, as to be rendered in- 

 capable of motion and appear ready to burst. Another 

 beautiful insect of this tribe, Carabus aurah/s^ known 

 in France by the name of Vinaigricr, is supposed to de- 

 stroy more cockchafers than all their other enemies, 

 attacking and killing: the females at the moment of ovi- 

 position, and thus preventing the birth of thousands of 

 young grubs ^. Lastly come the Staphj/linidce, many of 

 which prey upon insects as well as on putrescent sub- 

 stances. Mr. Lehraann tells us that some of them ^re 

 very useful in destroying the great enemy of our crops 

 of clover seed, Apian Jlavifemoraium'^. 



Amongst the devourers of insects in iheir perfect state 

 only, must be ranked a few of the social tribes, ants, 

 w asps, and hornets. The first-mentioned indefatigable 

 and industrious creatures kill and carry off great num- 

 bers of insects of every description to their nests, and 

 prodigious are their efforts in this work. I have seeu 

 an ant dragging a wild bee many times bigger than it- 

 self; and there was broug))! to me this very morning 



* One wa3 taken at Aldebiirgh in SuPiDlk by Dr. Crabbe, the cele- 

 brated poet; another by a young lady at EouthwdN, which is eow in tbe 

 cnbinet of W. J. Hooker, esq.; a(nda third by aboyat Norwich, «ra\*l- 

 JHg up a wall, which was purchased of him by S. "WUkin, «gq. 



" Lntr. lliit. Nut. x. 181. 



= Linn. Tram. \}. 149, Rirbv, Ibid. \^.i% 23. 



