THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



37 



allow the water to drain for the cattle. It was in one of these small pools 

 that we commenced operations. We were provided with a large shallow can 

 with which we scraped out the mud, and we were soon surprised at the great 

 number of the fine beetle Dytiscus marginalis we turned up with every can 

 of mud. We could have taken hundreds, but we satisfied ourselves by 

 bringing away about forty fine specimens. We also turned out many 

 water scorpions (Nepa cinerea), and one water boatman {Notonecta 

 glauea) . 



Previous to this time, I had only taken one solitary specimen of D. margi- 

 nalis, and as there is a little history attached to it, I will just relate it, in 

 order to show the courage and voracity of these beetles. 



About three years ago I was enjoying a day's outing with Mr. J. Hill, at 

 Little Eaton. We had just concluded a good day's sport, and were returning 

 home through a stubble field, when we noticed something moving rapidly 

 along through the stubble. Closer observation proved it to be a sand lizard, 

 which was making its way to a stone wall a few yards off. We tried to 

 capture it, and after many vain attempts I darted my net before it and the 

 capture was made, for the lizard ran into it, and as I had no further use for 

 the net I tied the reptile in one corner of it, and so took it home. When I 

 arrived at home I thought I would try and see how the lizard liked a water 

 bath, so I put it into a small aquarium, the only inhabitant of which was the 

 D, marginalis, aforementioned. I soon found that the lizard preferred an 

 arenaceous element to an aqueous one, and it swam to the top and endeavoured 

 to get out of the water ; I, therefore, placed a narrow strip of glass over the 

 top of the aquarium, and put the lizard upon it, placing a net over to prevent 

 its escape. Next day I noticed that about an inch of the lizard's tail was 

 nearly broken off. I could not discover how this mutilation had taken place. 

 The poor little reptile whose eyes, the preceding day, were so bright, seemed 

 quite dull and drooping. On looking an hour or two later the mystery of 

 the broken tail was discovered, and the culprit found out. I found that the 

 lizard was in the embrace of Mr. Marginalis in the aquarium, who was suck- 

 ing away at a hole he had made in the abdomen of the lizard, his long legs 

 being firmly attached to the body. I took them out of the water, and with 

 some difficulty forced the beetle to quit its hold ; and, of course, found the 

 lizard quite dead. After seeing this sight I came to the conclusion that the 

 beetle had caused the mutilation of the lizard's tail, and also the death of the 

 reptile, and it must have been brought about in this manner. The glass 

 slip was only about half-an-inch from the surface of the water, so that in 

 turning round the lizard's tail would come in contact with the water. The 

 beetle, seeing this, would make a grab at it, and in the struggle that ensued, 



