8o. BULLETIN OF THE BROOKLYN ENT. SOC. 



by the newly thrown up loose sand. As the water becomes low the sun 

 and the winds soon dry up or close the holes, situated at the higher water 

 mark, and the hydrophiline settlers leave their mountain houses and de- 

 scend to the retreating water to find food and new humid homes at its edge, 

 but how short is their stay. 



The flood tide soon comes! a gentle shallow wave washes the shore, 

 and gives the little settlers a warning to leave their scarcely finished homes; 

 then it goes back to give them time to escape. Lazy after dinner, and 

 tired by their digging, they slowly leave their new found holes. 



The same gentle wave comes again, a trifle rougher, and admonishes 

 them to hurry up! The little legs move faster and gain the hill, to find that 

 the wind has destroyed their former holes, and that they must dig new ones. 

 By doing this for generations, their front feet have become more and more 

 developed and adapted to the work. What an immense amount of work 

 to be performed in one day, climbing up and down the mountains and 

 building four different homes! * 



No doubt these little insects are the very aborigines of Cone} - Island, 

 and like the aboriginal races of this continent must yield to the march of 

 civilization, to the cruel merciless pale faces. "Where but a few years ago, 

 was still the dominion of the wooing Cicindelidae, invaded only by some 

 stray (bug) hunter, now the ground is trampled by thousands and thousands, 

 in long files and broad ranks, and the noble Cicindelidae present but a rem- 

 nant of their former greatness (numerically. ) 



The inside ponds whose shores are peopled by Scaritini are now sepa- 

 rated from the embrace of the sea, by railroad dams, dikes, bulkwarks, and 

 immense buildings, there is no more rising and falling of the tides, no flood 

 to bring new food. The former channels are becoming swamps, and are 

 filling up with sand and will gradually dry up. 



Now the necessity or opportunity for these little Scaritini to dig four 

 holes each day has ceased to exist. But their front feet are thickened and 

 greatly developed by their hard work in the daily struggles of life. Perhaps 

 in a few hundred years, some thinking Entomologist may find these very 

 same Scaritini, under stones etc. near the shores of stabile ponds or swamps, 

 and in theorizing upon the great development of their tarsi, which will then 



* The fact that these insects inhabit sloping banks and ascend and descend them with the 

 rising and falling water, was discovered by me several years ago while collecting at the 

 banks of the Delaware and the North Branch pouring water over their holes. 

 See Bulletin Vol. I Page 2. 



