#L 



INTRODUCTION 



EVERYBODY who is sufficiently conversant with the 

 open book of Nature to recognize a beetle when he or 

 she sees one, is aware how large a part they play in the 

 great drama of the Insect world, how numerous and 

 diverse they are as species, how abundant as individ- 

 uals. Unlike some of our other insects, beetles occur 

 everywhere, and at all times of the year. From the 

 summit of Ben Nevis to far below high water mark 

 on the shore forest and fen the wild bogs of Con- 

 nacht to the well-tilled lowlands of East Anglia the 

 moors and mountains of Ultima Thule, and the pathless 

 chalk downs of Wessex Highland loch, and Lowland 

 mere pond and wayside ditch the great persistent 

 river and the most evanescent mountain rill town 

 and country, the nests of ants and birds and mammals ; 

 and the dwelling places of mankind all these have their 

 beetles ; some few common to the land or water of them 

 all, some special to each. And as I have dealt in other 

 parts of this little series with certain of the beetles 

 to be found under some of these varying environments, 

 so in the present part I invite the attention of the reader, 

 whom I assume to be a lover, if not a student, of Nature 

 in her more detailed manifestations, to some of the 

 members of the order whose hiding places are among 

 the everlasting hills, or at least who haunt that great 

 sweep of uplands which we call the North and South 

 Downs. 





