BENEFICIAL INSECTS, PREDACEOUS AND PARASITIC 13 



as frequently to destroy whole broods of plant-lice, they should 

 not be disturbed in their good work if possible to avoid it. 



The Ground-beetles 



If, as you scrape away the loose chips at the base of a tree 

 in your door-yard, turn over an old log in the woodland, or pick 

 up a fallen fence-rail, you will scrutinize the inhabitants under 

 these shelters, a number of shining black beetles varying in length 

 from one fourth to 1% inches will usually be noticed. If the city 

 reader be not so fortunate as to be familiar with or have access 

 to these hiding-places, he may find large numbers of the beetles 



FIG. 8. The fiery ground-beetle (Calosoma cdlidum). a, beetle; 6, larva; 

 c, " the searcher " (Calosoma scrutator). (After Riley.) 



under any electric arc light during the warm summer evenings; 

 for there they are having a sumptuous banquet upon the small 

 flies and moths attracted by the glare. They are rarely seen 

 at large during the day, as they are almost exclusively nocturnal 

 insects, and from their habit of remaining almost entirely in or 

 on the ground they are usually known as " Ground-beetles." As 

 might therefore be inferred, they are exceedingly valuable to the 

 farmer by destroying large numbers of noxious insects which 

 pass a part or all of their existence in the soil. Besides the 

 glossy black forms which are most commonly seen, many are 

 brilliantly marked with gold, green, purple, and iridescent tints. 



The Fiery Ground-beetle (Calosoma calidum}) so called on 

 account of the wing-covers being dotted with bright gold, has 



