COLEOPTERA 215 



of the elytra and the legs are reddish, the under side of a 

 metallic green ; the top of the abdomen appears, when the wings 

 are spread, of a shining blue. The beetle gives out a faint odour 

 like that of sweetbriar. Its head is large, with prominent eyes, 

 and jaws which at once reveal murderous propensities. The 

 larva can be discovered by digging in the loose sandy bank 

 over which the beetles congregate. Its body is long and of 

 awkward shape, for it is bent twice at an angle, and takes the 

 shape of the letter Z. A number of hard plates defend the 

 back, and this, we may remark, is frequently the case with 

 larvae which burrow, or hide in narrow crevices. The head is 

 large and the jaws formidable, though not quite so ferocious as 

 those of the adult beetle. There are four simple eyes on each 

 side of the head, the upper two being larger than the lower 

 ones. Each segment of the thorax bears a pair of rather long 

 and slender legs. If we look at the eighth segment behind the 

 head (the fifth abdominal), we see a hump on its upper surface, 

 which bears a pair of strong hooks. These are of special use 

 when the larva is lurking in the ground and waiting for a 

 victim to come within reach. The larva has its retreat — a 

 vertical burrow which often runs many inches into the ground. 

 In bringing up the earth and sand to the surface, it bends its 

 body to the Z-like figure, and gets -the same kind of hold with 

 the pair of hooks on its back that a man climbing a rocky, cleft 

 would get with his knees. The earth is said to be carried up 

 on the broad, shovel-shaped head. When the burrow is com- 

 pleted, the larva climbs up it, and holds on with its legs and 

 dorsal hooks, the head and first segment of the thorax closing 

 the hole like a lid. As soon as a crawling insect, such as an 

 ant or a small beetle, comes near enough to be seized, the 

 tiger-beetle larva suddenly throws its head backwards, 

 clutches the prey, and drags it into the burrow, where it 

 sucks the juices and leaves little more than an empty skin 

 behind. 



Towards the end of summer the larva pupates. The pupa 

 inhabits the same burrow, and is, like many other subterranean 

 pupse, furnished with spines, which enable it to climb to the 

 surface before the winged insect emerges. 



Soriie of the winged beetles appear in autumn, two or three 

 weeks after pupation, but the majority lie hid till spring, when 

 they fly about in the sun, and lay eggs. 



