64' MODERN CLASSIFICATION OF INSECTS. 



In like manner Anchomenus prasinus (one of the Harpalides) is said 

 to combat its enemies with repeated discharges of smoke and noise. 

 (^K. and S. ii. 2t7.) They also discharge a very acrid liquid of a black 

 colour from the mouth, when captured or whilst eating, which pro- 

 duces similar effects on the skin to those caused by powdered can. 

 tharides ; indeed, by the ancient physicians they were employed in 

 medicine as being highly vesicatory, whence Geoffroy considered 

 them to be the Buprestis of the ancients, which were accounted as a 

 dangerous poison to cattle. Latreille, however, in a valuable memoir 

 upon these poisonous insects in the tenth volume of the AnnaJes du 

 Museum, has satisfactorily shown them to have belonged to the 

 modern family Cantharidae. 



Olivier informs us that a sort of soap is made by the natives in some 

 parts of Africa from a species of Carabus, to which he gave the 

 specific name of Saponarius, belonging to the subfamily Harpalides ; 

 and from information given by M. Dumolin to Dejean, it appears that 

 these insects are not employed in the manufacture as affording alka- 

 line matter, as had been supposed, but for the fatty matter which is 

 obtained from them. 



The majority of the Carabidae inhabit the elevated regions of the 

 southern parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. The first of 

 these quarters of the globe is, however, their chief metropolis, none 

 other possessing so great a number of species. In England we 

 scarcely possess more than 400 species. The insects composing the 

 true genus Carabus disappear as we go either to the North, or towards 

 the tropics, whilst the allied genus Calosoma is distributed over 

 Europe, Africa, America, and New South Wales. The genus Pam- 

 borus is confined to the latter country, whilst Procerus and Pro- 

 crustes are chiefly found in the countries bordering the northern 

 shores of the Mediterranean Sea, where other equatorial genera begin 

 to make their appearance. Some species are found ui^on the margins 

 of streams or standing water, whilst some of the Carabi and Pteros- 

 tichi, &c. are only found on the tops of the highest mountains. Again, 

 many of the species of the Brachinides are generally found either 

 upon the trunks or beneath the bark of trees.* These species are 

 likewise more variegated in their colours and lest robust in their 



* It is evidently owing to this circumstance that some of these insects are occa- 

 sionally found embedded in gum anime, in which substance I have observed several 

 beautiful species. (See also Gerniar, Mag.Ent. v. i. p. 13. G. Lebina.) 



