Leng : Beetles of a Staten Island Garden 205 



attractive little creature, Bcuihidinm quadr'unacHlahim, with four 

 conspicuous yellow spots on his back. It is not only in summer, 

 however, that these ground beetles are present, for some at least 

 are in the garden all the year round and may be found at any sea- 

 son by gathering old leaves in a bag from beneath the hedge and 

 sifting them thinly over a white cloth, whereby the smallest mov- 

 ing thing is readily detected. 



Among the ground beetles of this garden is also the shining, 

 bronze Auiara angustata, which is less retiring. It loves to run 

 over the flagstones of the front walk in the hottest sunshine, and 

 though less than half an inch in length its brilliant back makes it 

 conspicuous. During the thirty-three years that I have worked 

 the garden this beetle has never failed to appear and cheer me with 

 its splendor. 



Water beetles would hardly be expected as the garden contains 

 no pools, but nevertheless I have one specimen of HydrophUus 

 triangtdaris that was caught flying through at night. My old 

 friend Louis Joutel told me once of numbers of water beetles 

 being caught by his freshly painted tin roof, and doubtless a 

 Staten Island garden list might be swelled in the same way, for 

 water beetles seem liable to mistake any shining surface for water. 



Among the rove beetles the garden is inhabited by many more 

 species than I know the names of, as their identification is diffi- 

 cult. However, there are some inhabitants of the garden in the 

 family Staphyhnidae of special interest. Cardiola ohscura was 

 known from America by but a single specimen, from Mount Airy, 

 Pa., at the time when Col. T. L. Casey reviewed its tribe ; but all 

 the time the decaying crabapples in the garden were covered with 

 them. Apoccllus sphaericollis, looking for all the world like an 

 ant, was the surprise of one summer day, when in peaceful con- 

 templation of the bluestone walk I rested from my labors. Mr. 

 E. A. Schwarz (Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington 4: 5i- 1898) has 

 referred to the paucity of information regarding subterranean in- 

 sects, and it may be that such rare captures are a hint of what is 

 hidden beneath flagstones and boulders. In Europe some en- 

 tomologists go collecting with crowbars. 



Many of the rove beetles live in the stable manure that is used 

 for fertilizer, and among the dull-colored little things with their 



