236 Transactions of the Academy of Science of St. Louis 
than 300 species are known to be myrmecophilous Tillya 
(26 :209) : “Larvae active, caraboid, scavengers of oe. aidiral or 
24 
vegetable cages : ese beetles are mostly small to medium in 
size, active, gro und- “scavenging.” Lintner (82:187): “Their food con- 
sists rect, of a ng animal and vegetable matter, rendering them 
very useful as scavengers. Some of the species attack and destroy 
other living insects, and are so cannibalistic as to prey upon their own 
Other 
species. rs are true parasites, and find their food in the lary 
of ant’s nests, in the nests of wasps, in beetles, and bee 
recent observations, and an inc Sete Flea of their habits—in 
many more insects than are now ted.” 
o Sharp (01:225); S i oe Jackson (12:143); Smith 
(99 303) : gti (06:172); Smith (09 :237 
Some of the more specialized co. also contains this 
same general conception as to the food of the rove-beetles. 
Fabre (22:49) Vignesk the food of oes maxtillosus (L.) 
be decaying flesh, but s that the larval forms of Staphylinus es 
tle larva us (22-159) 
their feeding havink for og s ays, “The Sauda: were placed in 
this group also, (Saprophaga) although this ona a members 
which live in fungi, in animal coe My gle decay, 1 nests an 
and some are predatory.’ Herms (07:48) lists Eve phiins maxillosus 
ose variety ae (Grav.) as a scavenger Jacques (15:526) places 
taphy =P ideale (Letstotrophus) teat (Grav. 
gor oe wien (Grav.) and Philo ilies aeneus (Ro in his list 
of enty-one leoptera associated with and Tay feedi ing on 
decaying fish. McAtee (27:1 “The. seph yun larvae found in one 
mus ve been pits aso; they died without reaching matur- 
O were not identified; i y be remarked, however, that a Euro- 
pais staphylinid (Miceekess) ri a gel: inhabitant of bird’s nests” 
See also Gibson (04:77-79); Lintner (88:430 acc. Lintner 89 :303) ; 
Hamilton (89 :107) ; Riley (70: 128) and Riley (70:245). 
n all the preceding references the fact that staphylinids are 
hoe found in and near decaying organic matter, is the back- 
ground for the statements that they are scavengers. Those that 
mention eo behaviors mention them as exceptions and 
not as the r 
A few authors have cited observations in their attempts to 
sum the scavenger tendencies of the rove beetles. 
his discussion of the cave inhabitating Emplenota lucifuga 
ees Banta (07 :30) says, “It is essentially a scavenger. It has 
been seen feeding at the carcass of a dead mouse, upon 
myriapod, and abundantly upon the bait mentioned above (a tiatt 
of decaying beef and cheese). It probably feeds also on decay- 
ing vegetable matter. It was more attracted by beef than by 
other bait.” It is difficult to estimate the detail of the above 
observations. One can not be sure as to the actual food of a 
small beetle when it is found in a certain habitat, and it would 
be very easy to assume that they were feeding on the ground 
substance when in reality they were searching for the minute 
