262 



NATURAL ARRANGEMENT OF INSECTS. 



World, or Agra of the New World. Brachinus 

 possesses the peculiar property of crepitating when 

 irritated or captured, and tlie noise is accompanied 

 with a bluish smoke; these insects have thence obtained 

 the name of bombardier beetles. The Indian Catosco- 

 pus is reputed to have the same means of defence. 

 These insects are less absolutely predatory in their 

 disposition than the other sub-families of the Carahid/ie; 

 and many of them are gregarious, — associating in large 

 troops beneath stones, or under the bark of trees. They 

 are universally distributed, and appear more numerous 

 than the Cicindelidce. The second sub- family are the 

 Scaritince ; these are essentially fossorial insects. 

 They are elongate and depressed, and the abdomen is 

 affixed to the thorax by means of a short peduncle, 

 whereby the latter acquires a degree of motion which 

 greatly facilitates its burrowing habits ; their antennte 

 are short and moniliform ; and the legs also are short, 

 — the anterior tibite being dilated into a broad, palmated, 

 externally denticulated burrowing implement. It is a 

 small group, very widely distributed ; few genera of 

 these consisting of nearly solitary species being peculiar 

 to any country, — for instance, Acanthoscelis to the 

 Cape, Scapterus and Oxygnathus to India, Oxystonuis 

 and Camptodontus to the Brazils, Carenum to New 

 Holland, and Pasimachus to North America ; — species 

 of the latter frequently come over in raw turpentine. 



(232.) The tliird sub-family is the Harpalince, 

 the distinctive characters of which consist primarily in 

 the enlargement of the four anterior tarsi of the males ; 

 they have moderately long antennae ; and, in common 

 with the preceding, possess a deep notch in the inside of 

 the anterior tibise. They are generally robust insects, 

 and perhaps, with the Curabince, are the most voracious 

 of the entire circle. But we have the extraordinary 

 apparition of vegetable feeders in the midst of them. 

 Thus, Zabrus is said to feed exclusively upon corn ; and 

 many of the Amnr(e, upon the tender shoots of grass 

 and plantSj as also upon their roots. This is a very 



