18 



USEFUL BIRDS. 



Fig. 9. — Predaceous beetle; the lion 

 lieetle or caterpillar hunter. 



(Carabida?) already mentioned, the tiger beetles (Cicinde- 

 lidte), the ladj^bird.s (Coccinellida?), and niain^ of the true 

 bui»-s. Such insects are often miscalled parasites, but they 

 do not merit this misnomer. 



The predaceous beetles are 

 the wolves, lions, and tigers of 

 the insect world. The}^ hunt 

 down their pre}', pouncing 

 upon it and killing it when 

 found . Often these insects 

 are so ravenous that they con- 

 tent themselves with drawino; 

 the life blood and other juices 

 from their quarry, leaving the 

 rest to lie devoured by ants 

 or other scavengers. While 

 the larger predaceous beetles 

 attack many of the larger insects, smaller species, such as 

 ladybirds, assail other minute insects, such as the aphids 

 or plant lice. 



The bugs are the vampires of the insect world. Armed 

 with a strong proboscis, the bug pursues its 

 prey, pierces it and sucks its juices, leaving it 

 drained and lifeless ; but the so-called parasitic 

 insects feed in a manner entirely difterent. 



Certain families of the Hymenoptera and 

 Diptera contain parasitic genera and species. 

 These insects range in si/e from that of a large 

 wasp down to that of a small midge. Most of Fig- lo.-rre- 



,n , 1 1 • ,- 1 • • 1 • daceous beetle; 



them have the habit oi depositing their eggs a tiger among 

 on, or in, the bodies of other living insects. msecis. 



Each ichneumon fly is armed w ith a long 

 ovipositor, which operates somewhat like a 

 hollow sting, by means of which it is en- 

 abled to pierce the skin of the larva? of 

 other insects and })ass its eg^^ through the 

 Fig. 11. - Hymenop- puucturc, depositing them in the body tis- 



terous parasite. , 



Imago, natural size sucs bciieath the skin. Ihcse eggs soon 

 hatch, and the young larvae, emerging from 



and enlarged. 



