178 WOODLAND IDYLS. 



While returning to camp I saw a phase of the 

 great struggle new to my senses and to science, 

 as far as known to me. In my pathway were 

 two rolling, wrestling objects, struggling, not for 

 fame as in a Greco-Rornan match of old, but one 

 for life, the other for life prolonging nutriment. 

 The former was a large thick bodied "June- 

 bug'' or May-beetle, 67 the latter a slender bodied 

 but large sized rove beetle. 68 It had the June- 

 bug by the soft tissues of the throat and was 

 worrying him much as a fox terrier can worry 

 a raccoon or marmot on which it cannot get 

 sufficient hold to strangle. Back and forth, 

 over and over they struggled, the May-beetle 

 ever trying to escape by pushing with its legs 

 at the body of its foe; the latter grasping as 

 well as possible with jaws and legs and in its 

 excitement waving its flexible abdomen rapidly 

 up and down. For full ten minutes I watched 

 them, then, time more precious, I parted them 

 with a twig, the June-bug on buzzing wing es- 

 caping in an instant, the rove beetle hiding be- 

 neath a cover of dead leaves. Predaceous as 

 well as a scavenger, then this Staphylinid, and 

 on the parent of the white grub. Beneficial, 

 therefore, we hail thee! To whom? To man 

 the omnivorous man the self-styled "highest of 

 all'' man the prince of parasites on this old 

 globe where bird and beetle, beast and reptile 



17 Lachnoaterna ruyosa Melsh. M Listotrophut cinffulatue Grav. 



