LIPURA. 413 



CASE browsing upon carrots, potatoes, or other roots. It is white, and 

 of a velvety texture, as are several other species. 



The Lipurse as a genus are interesting from an evolution point 

 of view. We have, in speaking of marine mites, alluded to the 

 fact that certain insects, and more particularly certain beetles, 

 passed their lives under the very exceptional condition of spending 

 half their time under the sea. They live between high and low 

 water-mark, in the chinks of rocks, under beds of sea-weed, and 

 similar places of shelter j and this is a manner of life not peculiar 

 to one country alone. Wherever there are suitable sea-coasts, 

 there we shall doubtless find some of these beetles ; at any rate, 

 we know that they occur on the coasts of Europe, Madeira, North 

 America, Chili, New Caledonia, and Australia, different species in 

 each, but all belonging to the same two contiguous families, the 

 Trechidas and Bembidiidae. Now it is worthy of note that it is 

 the same family that supply some (not all) of the eyeless species 

 that live under another peculiar and abnormal condition, viz., in 

 the dark limestone caverns of Carniola, Kentucky, &c. It is as 

 if they had a special facility of adaptation given them for accom- 

 modating themselves to any condition of life. If it were not so, why 

 have thousands of other families of insects not done the same ? 

 We cannot suppose that no Carabidse but the Trechidse, although 

 there are four or five hundred genera, were subjected to the same 

 trial, and that they alone were subjected, not only to the trial by 

 darkness, but also to the trial by sea. If we did, the present 

 genus would help to confute the idea. It also contains a species 

 that lives under the sea, and another that lives in dark caverns. 

 One family thus furnishing a double adaptation in both instances, 

 implies that there is something special in them favourable to their 

 accommodating themselves to unwonted conditions. 



LiPURA MARITIMA {Guer.). 



Dark lead coloured, and of a velvety texture that throws off 



