HABITS OF THE COLEOPTEBA. 1$5 



accordingly fashioned for this purpose : of these, we 

 need only mention the petalocerous or lamellicorn beetles, 

 of which our green rose chafer (Cetonia aurata)is a beau- 

 tiful example. The Curculionida, a large and very sin- 

 gularly shaped family, live upon the internal juices of 

 vegetables, without encasing themselves in the substance 

 from which they draw their nourishment. All these, 

 however diversified their operations, are phytophagous, 

 or feeders upon vegetables ; but, as in every natural 

 group there is a type of evil, or in other words, a pecu- 

 liar division whose habits are rapacious, cruel, and blood- 

 thirsty, so we find, in the order before us, one tribe 

 answering to this description. The predaceous beetles 

 live entirely upon other insects, which they pursue and 

 capture in a living state, or devour when hastening 

 to decay. By far the greater part of these lions and 

 tigers of the beetle world roam about the ground, 

 " seeking whom they may devour," and are hence called 

 Geodephagous. Some few, as the Dytiscidce, habitually 

 live in fresh water ; from which circumstance they have 

 been named Hydrodephagous. It seems, indeed, certain, 

 that a portion of nearly every substance in the animal 

 and vegetable world is assigned as food to coleopterous 

 insects ; for not only do they feed upon such things as 

 are produced naturally, but they evince a decided relish 

 for such as are artificially prepared by man. Those fa- 

 milies of the predaceous beetles, which are furthest re- 

 moved from the perfection of their tribe, greedily devour 

 bacon, lard, cheese, and other stores of our kitchen : 

 some show a partiality for leather, even after it has been 

 prepared by the tanner and manufactured by the book- 

 binder. This is, perhaps, the last indication of the car- 

 nivorous habit ; and, as natural transitions are always 

 gradual, we find that many of these very insects feed on 

 other substances wholly vegetable. 



(169). The structure of beetles is in every way adapted 

 to the various functions we have just enumerated. As 

 their food is of a much more solid nature than that 

 o 2 



