16 



Family CI CIND ELID M. 



Genus CICINDELA. 



The insects belonging to this group, which are generally known as " tiger" 

 beetles, are easily distinguished by their very prominent sickle-shaped jaws 

 which cross each other when closed ; by their prominent eyes ; by the upper 

 lip {labrum) being very large, and (in the British species with the exception 

 of sylvatica) white ; and by the elytra, which are usually green or bronze, 

 with white or cream-coloured markings.- The British species (with the excep- 

 tion of Germanica which measures about half an inch) are usually about 

 three-quarters of an inch in length. They inhabit sandy situations and 

 (except Germanica) fly in the hottest sunshine with great rapidity, much 

 resembling blue-bottle flies, and much more difficult to capture. The British 

 species are easily differentiated by the following short description of each. 



C. campestris. — Head, thorax, and elytra green, the latter with four or 

 five cream-coloured spots. Common in sandy lanes. The vzr.funebris, Stu., 

 is described as having the upper side entirely black. 



C. hybrida. — Head, thorax, and elytra bronze, the latter with a cream- 

 coloured crescent at the shoulders, another at the apex, and a transverse band 

 of the same colour in the middle, which runs slightly backwards towards the 

 suture and is a little narrower in the middle. In the var. maritima this 

 band appears like two spots, one at the middle of the side and one nearer 

 the apex on the disc of the elytra, the two spots being connected by a very 

 slender streak of the same colour. The type form is abundant on sandhills 

 on the coasts of Lancashire, Cheshire, and North Wales ; the variety (if 

 variety it be) occurs plentifully on the east coast, also in the south. 



C. sylvatica. — Head, thorax, and elytra bronze, the latter with markings 

 somewhat like hybrida, but easily distinguished from all the other British 

 Cicindelae by its black labrum. Sandy heaths in the south of England. 



G« germanica. — Dark green or blackish, elytra with a white spot at the 

 shoulder and a white crescent at the apex. Occurs locally in the Isle of 

 Wight, &c. 



C AB ABI DiE. 

 Carabides, 



The British species to this sub-family are easily distinguished from all 

 other Carabida; by the absence of the notch on the inner of the anterior tibiae, 

 and are generally arranged in the nine following genera, viz : Notioj)hus } 

 Elaphrus, Blethisa, Cychrus, Carabus, Calosoma, Nebria, Pelophila, and 

 Leistus, and these genera may be easily separated from one another by the 



