276 maine; agricultural experiment station. 1907. 



linids ate a fourth of the same species which was enclosed in 

 the same vial with them. They had no other food at the time. 

 Two individuals were observed pulling at 1 small cutworm like 

 2 chickens over an earthworm, each bracing its legs and tug- 

 ging while they curved up the tips of their abdomens high in 

 the air with a threatening jerk. A small cutworm was given 

 to a pair of hungry rove-beetles. The female dragged the 

 partly devoured caterpillar beneath her and bit the male so 

 viciously when he attempted to share it that he died about an 

 hour later. 



All the insects fed to the Staphylinids as well as the Carabids 

 were alive and uninjured except when otherwise stated. 



The fate of countless hordes of hibernating insects must be 

 settled by such predaceous beetles during the fall and spring, 

 and thus such lively and difficult insects to combat as the tar- 

 nished plant-bug find a natural check in the voracious appetite- 

 of these beetles everywhere to be seen skirmishing over the 

 ground and under rubbish. The common ground-beetles would 

 seem effective particularly with such soft-bodied insects as the 

 tarnished plant-bug which proved attractive morsels during 

 the feeding observations. - This pest is particularly active only 

 in the warmth and sunny weather, and seeks shelter during 

 weather which the ground-beetles accept for hunting days. Its 

 dormant days particularly during the fall and spring are a 

 vulnerable season in the life history of the tarnished plant-bug 

 at a time when the ground-beetles are still active. Such natural 

 aids as these are, it is to be regretted, often entirely unappre- 

 ciated, yet they accomplish more in a case like the tarnished 

 plant-bug which is often not practically combatable by arti- 

 ficial means than man could possibly hope to do. 



Cosmopepla carnifex. — July 19 about 20 of these little black 

 and red bugs which are numerous upon potato, mullein, mint, 

 thistle, buttercups and many other plants near Houlton were 

 caged upon a potato plant in the insectary. August 13, one 

 bug and several young ones were still feeding upon the plant, 

 the stalks and leaf stems of which showed numerous black beak 

 wounds. 



Euchistus tristigma. — From June 13 to July 4, 10 of these 

 large bugs were caged on a potato plant in the insectary. Dur- 

 ing this time several egg clusters were deposited upon the leaves 



