no THE FOOD OF ANIMALS 



monly known perhaps as "green fly". The larvae of these 

 beetles affect the same diet as their parents. They are bristly- 

 looking creatures of bluish -grey colour flecked with yellowish 

 spots. 



Scavenging- Beetles (fig. 386). — Several families of Beetles 

 include species which either in the adult or larval stage, or in 

 both, feed upon decaying animal matter, or upon skins, food of 

 animal origin, &c. Of these perhaps the most remarkable are 

 the Carrion- Beedes {Silphida), among which the Burying- Beetles 

 (species of Necrophorus) are well known from their habit of 

 burying the carcasses of small mammals, birds, &c., from under 

 which they excavate the earth, afterwards covering them over. 

 Their eggs are laid in this carrion, which furnishes an abundant 

 supply of savoury food to the larvae. - To the same family belong 

 the Rove Carrion- Beetles (species of Silphd), of which the larvae 

 live, in many species, upon decaying animal matter. The 

 members of another family (Histeridae) were formerly supposed 

 to feed upon the decaying matter among which they live, but it 

 appears that this is not really the case, both adult insects and their 

 larvae being of predaceous habit, and preying upon fly -maggots 

 and the like. The larvae of one widely -distributed family of 

 beetles (Dermestidae) feed mainly on dried animal matter, and 

 are found in skins, fur, and even horse-hair, while in the Bacon- 

 Beetle iyDermestes lardarius) they are found in different sorts of 

 animal food. 



NET-WINGED INSECTS (Neuroptera) 



A large number of the insects contained in this heterogeneous 

 and extensive order are predaceous in habit, and in such cases 

 the larvae, which in many groups are aquatic, rival or excel the 

 adults in their bloodthirsty tendencies. Among the most im- 

 portant members of the order living on land throughout their 

 entire existence are the Termites and Biting- Lice. Termites, 

 popularly known as White-" ants ", will be dealt with later on, 

 when social insects are described, and in any case only need 

 passing mention here, since wood is the staple of their diet, 

 though they are also more or less given to cannibalism. 



Biting- Lice are small wingless insects, living as external 

 parasites on the bodies of mammals and, more especially, on 

 birds (whence the name of "bird-lice" is commonly given to 



