Notes upon the Food of Predaceous Beetles. 163 



But, true to the adage "murder will out," occasionally 

 a species is found feeding upon vegetation with a voracity 

 that would do credit to a Chrysomelid. Of these in 

 Europe, besides the Zahrus gihhus in both stages, some of 

 the Pterostichi, Amara, Omophron, and Calathus latus 

 Westw., are said to injure grain by eating off the young 

 shoots or destroying the seed.'' 



Two species of Bembidium {lampos and montlcola) have 

 been destructive to the forests of upper Austria/ 



Broscus cephalotes attacks the growing grain, and Aris- 

 tus hucephalus devours the seeds of grass/ 



In our own country the Omophron lahiatum Fab. injures 

 the shoots of young corn in the Southern States. 



Harpalus caliginos^is Fab. is susj)ected of feeding upon 

 grain in stack in Maryland, and also of eating timothy 

 seeds from the heads.'' 



E. T. Dale, of Jasper, Mo., forwarded to the editors of 

 the American Entomologist specimens of an insect found 

 by him feeding upon the seeds of a plant unknown to him. 

 Upon examination they proved to be H. caliglnosiis."' 



According to Mr. Mather, of Marshalltown, Iowa, the 

 larvae of some species of 'Harpalus are destructive to his 

 evergreens, he having found them eating off the roots." 



The foregoing is a synopsis of all facts relating to the 

 vegetable-feeding Carabid^p, so far as known to the author 

 of this paper. A number of years ago the writer com- 

 menced the study of the food of beetles, correctly judging 

 from what was then known, that either naturalists were 

 in error in their suppositions or else that innocent insects 

 were wrongly accused. And he is free to confess his par- 

 tiality to the former theory as being the most correct. 

 But after several years of study and observation, I have 

 found to my astonishment not only the species accused 

 but others also of this family feeding largely upon vege- 

 table substances, both useful and noxious. Among my 



»Report U. S. Agr. Dept., 1868, pp. 7g-8o. 

 ■•Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, 1879, p. 417. 

 ■'^Westwood's Introduction, I., p. 61. 

 "Report U. S. Agr. Dept., 1868, p. 80, 

 'Am. Ent., Vol. I., p. 80. 

 8Am. Eiit., Vol. III., p. 26, 



