BEETLE-CATCHING. 21 



a large sheet of white paper. Grass-tufts can be 

 treated in a similar manner, and mostly with great 

 success. Lumps of dry earth can also be brought 

 home, where they can be broken up and leisurely 

 searched. 



THERE is a common species of this beautiful genus 

 to be procured from the broom. This is Lebia chlo- 

 rocephala. It is a striking insect in appearance, the 

 head and elytra being of a brilliant bluish-green colour, 

 while the thorax, which is strongly punctured, is of a 

 rust-red hue. It is very variable in size, some specimens 

 being twice as large as others, but averages about a 

 quarter of an inch in total length. 



THE genus Dromius comes next on our list. 

 There are eleven British species of Dromius at present 

 known, all of them small and rather pretty insects. 

 Although they are almost invariably found under the 

 bark of trees, they must not be confounded with those 

 little Beetles which devour the bark or bore into the 

 wood. On the contrary, such insects constitute the 

 food of the Dromii, so that the latter ought to be 

 encouraged and protected as far as possible. Their 

 bodies are long and flattish, so as to enable them to 

 run about under the bark in search of prey. 



In the accompanying illustration is shown a 

 Beetle which may be accepted as the type of the 

 genus. Its name is Dromius quadrimaculatus, the 

 latter name being given to it on account of the 

 four white marks upon the elytra. The head of this 

 species is black, and the thorax is rust-red. The 



