52 
stench is strongest. Many times, no doubt, when caught in a spider’s 
web, the beetle succeeds in disengaging itself by struggling, at the 
same time emitting its powerful scent in the hope of keeping off its 
adversary. This will account for the fact that in many cases no beetle 
can be found on examining all the likely places, but in such eases it is 
noticeable that the smell usually disappears after a moment or two, 
indicating, it would seem, the escape of the prisoner. 
In one case I took a struggling Nomius from the web of a small 
spider in my wood shed where the stench was almost unbearable. The 
spider was actively engaged in winding up his victim and the latter 
was already so enveloped as to be entirely invisible. I took him out 
with the end of a match, slightly injuring the web, but not touching 
the spider at all. Next day on looking at the place I found the spider 
hanging limp and dead in the web. Distrusting my eyes at first, I 
removed aud examined her carefully to make sure that I was not 
deceived by a moulted skin, but there was no mistake. Of course it 
may have been a simple coincidence, but it is hard to understand how 
any spider or insect could long resist such a stench, and J am inclined 
to believe that this spider actually was killed by the secretion of the 
Nomius. Since this occurred I have taken but few specimens, and 
these mainly in a dying condition, so that I have had no good oppor- 
tunity to experiment in this direction. However, I have not found any 
more spiders dead in their webs, and certainly all the spiders in whose 
webs I have seen specimens entangled seemed to be using all their 
powers to capture the victims, apparently anticipating a glorious feast. 
The presence of electric lights may have drawn these insects about 
the houses in larger numbers of late years, but I have never yet taken 
one very near a light and have found—or at least smelt—nearly as 
many about the unlighted sides of the house as in front where the 
light is brightest. It seems to me more probable that the electric 
lights have simply increased the number of spiders’ webs about our 
houses, thus offering more frequent opportunities for Nomius to become 
entangled, after which our attention is naturally attracted by the odor. 
Whatever may be the explanation of their presence, it is clear that a 
very simple way to avoid most of the disagreeable results of their 
coming is to keep the piazzas, window casings, blinds, and corners free 
from spiders’ webs. 
{have collected many species of carabids under sticks, stones, leaves, 
and rubbish of all kinds, and have kept a sharp lookout for this species 
in all situations, but with a single exception all my specimens have 
been taken from spiders’ webs outside the house; and the single excep- 
tion was that of an individual which probably had escaped from such 
a web and was resting on the piazza floor when found.* 
*Since the above was Shion, I inane faeenen many more Fine nen same piazza, 
most of them entangled in spiders’ webs or resting on the floor, steps, or ground, 
and in these latter cases almost invariably engaged in freeing fleneiees from bits 
of the web, from which they evidently had just escaped, 
Py es . 
- ee © ie Seed 
