J/F WATER-LOVERS, 43 



nalis, as often turning from its plant-eating to prey 

 upon little water-tritons, attacking quite healthy 

 specimens, overcoming and devouring them. Per- 

 haps it may have been some such rebound from 

 the common habit of life that influenced the 

 beetle I observed to illustrate Professor Semper's 

 assertion that " many polyphagous species are 

 found in genera which otherwise contain none but 

 monophagous Carnivora or Herbivora." 



The Water-Lovers go armed. At least it has 

 been conjectured that they do. Concealed weap- 

 ons are not forbidden in Water-Land. Safely 

 hidden underneath the body of one of these Hy- 

 dropliilidce, at the end of the sternum, is a very 

 short, somewhat sharp, black " pin," ready, it 

 might seem, to be stuck into the unfortunate crea- 

 ture that incurs this beetle's wrath. An experi- 

 enced youth whom I once discovered, or, rather, 

 who discovered me, during my dredging - hours, 

 announced to me that the Hydrophilidce, or " toe 

 pinchers," as he called them, " bit." 



" How do you know ? " I asked. 



" Got them on me when I went in swimming," 

 responded the wise youngster. Perhaps he had 

 felt the thrust of this same black "pin." But 

 lads' eyes are not sometimes as bright as they 

 ought to be, and I have quite a suspicion that 

 the Water-Lover and the Water-Tiger beetles are 

 confounded in the minds of many boys, since in 

 this brook the most common varieties of these two 



