268 THE WALKS ABROAD OF 



almost by handfuls, without discrimination, without 

 remorse. At last, wearied of the slaughter, the boxes 

 were put away, and our four friends prepared to con- 

 tinue their ramble. 



" Shall we not take this one ? " said Bene*, pointing 

 with his finger to a superb granulated Carabus. 



" It is no good ; we have already ten or a dozen of 

 it, and it is a useful insect. We shall acclimatise some 

 of his brethren in our garden at the cottage, and as 

 for this one we may leave it in peace." 



But fate had decided otherwise. A great Staphy- 

 linus concealed behind a root suddenly made a sortie 

 from its ambush and bore down on the unhappy carabe. 

 With a stroke of its mandibles the insect was almost 

 decapitated. All this was done in less time than it 

 takes to tell it ; a flash of lightning would have been 

 almost sufficient to have, illuminated the transactions 

 of this little tragedy. 



"But you, my good fellow, you shall perish miser- 

 ably." And stooping down Bene" seized the Staphy- 

 linus, and unflinchingly detained it, notwithstanding 

 the disagreeable odour of nitrous ether that the insect 

 spread around it an odour which has procured for it 

 the name of Ocypus olens. 



As the Parisian was on the point of shutting it up 

 with the others 



"Mind what you are about," said the doctor; 

 " before night all our captives will be massacred and 



