BENEFICIAL INSECTS, PREDACEOUS AND PARASITIC 15 



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 caliduni), so called on 



b 



FIG. 8. The fiery ground-beetle (Calosoma caliduni). a, beetle; b, larva; 

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



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

 many times been of great assistance in helping to rid a corn-field 

 of cutworms. The larvae of this insect are about one inch in 

 length, of a dark brown color, with the skin of a hard, horny 

 texture like that of the beetle. They have strong, prominent 

 jaws, and at the posterior end of the body is a forked appendage 

 looking much like another pair of jaws. It is not only surpris- 

 ing that these larvae will eat so large a number of cutworms, 

 as they have frequently been known to do, but that they will 

 dare to attack such a formidable creature fully three or four 

 times as large as themselves, but their assault is sharp and 

 vigorous, and a single larva has often been seen to kill and eat 



