S62 SUPPLEMENT ON THE CARNIVOROUS FAMILY 



ness on their prey, which they devour alive. Most of them, 

 when seized, emit an agreeable odour, slightly partaking of 

 that of musk. This, however, is not peculiar to those insects, 

 for many others, inhabiting sandy places, are found to do 

 the same. Although the cicindelae fly remarkably fast they 

 stop at but a small distance from the place which they have 

 quilted. In flying, some of them, such as sylvatica, emit a 

 loud humming noise. They all appear to be endowed with 

 excellent sight. 



The architecture of the larvae of this genus is very curious 

 and interesting. Their operations were first observed by M. 

 Geoftroy, and the larvae themselves subsequently well described 

 and figured by M. Desmarest, in the " Bulletin des Sciences." 

 This larva or grub is to be found during spring, and also in 

 summer and autumn, in sandy situations. It is of a cylindri- 

 cal form, is long, of a soft contexture, and a whitish colour ; 

 the head is squared, presents six or eight eyes, and is large. 

 These larvae have powerful jaws, and on the eighth ring of 

 the body there are two tubercles thickly covered with red 

 hairs, and armed with a recurved horny spine. 



They hollow in the earth or sand vertical holes of about 

 eighteen inches deep, and resting on their tubercles, and 

 bending themselves into a form resembling the letter z, they 

 mount and descend something in the manner of chimney, 

 sweepers. The cavity which they form is cylindrical, of 

 greater width than their body, and the entrance is perpendi- 

 cular. Their large head serves to transport the sand or earth 

 from the hole which they are digging. When come to the 

 opening of the hole they fling out the earth and sand. Ac- 

 cording as this larva gets deeper down, it returns to the orifice 

 by climbing up by means of the tubercles on its back. This 

 is an operation neither quick nor easy, and the animal in per- 

 forming it is forced to rest several times. When it finds the 

 particular ground it has chosen not adapted to its labours, it 



