196 PROC. COTTESWOLD CLUB VOL. xiii. (3) 



paper, and the Rove beetle lay as if dead in the v^ater, the 

 ant above him. Indeed, I thought the ant had killed 

 him. At half-past nine I dried up the water, and the 

 insects at once resumed the strife. At this time the 

 Rove beetle seemed to be getting the best of the " mill." 

 I then left for the day. 



At 6.30 p.m., when I returned, the ant still held the 

 antenna of the Rove beetle ; but the ant was dead. 

 The Rove was as strong as ever, and ran about with the 

 corpse of his foe clinging to him. 



At six o'clock next morning the Rove was asleep, the 

 ant still retaining his grim hold. I then killed the Rove 

 beetle, which resisted vigorously. 



I put the insects, as they were, on stamp paper, and 

 took them to Mr C. J. Watkins, of Painswick, who kindly 

 identified them, and returned them to me mounted, but, I 

 regret to say, separated. 



II.— REMARKS ON THE COMBATANTS 



BY 



C. J. WATKINS, M.E.S. 



The Beetle is one of the great group of Brachelytra, of 

 which nearly 800 species have been recorded as British. 

 They are commonly called Rove beetles, which are readily 

 known by their elongate abdomen, and very short, straight 

 wing cases, covering, however, a pair of large, beautiful 

 wings. One of our largest species is the well-known 

 "Devil's coach-horse" {Ocypns olens). From the length 

 of an inch they vary down to a si;^e so small as to require 

 a strong lens to show whether they are insects, much 

 less beetles. Most of these Rove beetles are carnivorous, 

 and feed upon decaying animal substances. The larvae 01 

 these beetles resemble the perfect insect, and are found 



