INDIRECT BENEFITS DERIVED FROM INSECTS. 231 



well as by suction. Another tribe of this order which abounds 

 in species, those predaceous beetles which form Linne's great 

 genus Carabus (Eutrecli\VLa^\ is universally insectivorous. 

 One of the most destructive is the grub of a very beautiful 

 species, an English specimen of which would be a great ac- 

 quisition to your cabinet, it being one of our rarest insects^, 

 I mean Calosoma Sycophanta, This animal takes up its station 

 in the nests of Cnethocampa processionea and other moths, and 

 sometimes fills itself so full with these caterpillars, which we 

 cannot handle or even approach without injury, as to be ren- 

 dered incapable of motion, and appear ready to burst. An- 

 other beautiful insect of this tribe, Carabus auratus, known 

 in France by the name of Vinaigrier, is supposed to destroy 

 more cockchafers than all their other enemies, attacking and 

 killing the females at the moment of ovipositiorl, and thus 

 preventing the birth of thousands of young grubs. ^ Lastly 

 come the Brachyptera, many of which prey upon insects as 

 well as on putrescent substances. Mr. Lehmann tells us that 

 some of them are very useful in destroying a weevil (Apion 

 flavifemoratum the great enemy of our crops of clover 

 seed. 



Amongst the devourers of insects in their perfect state only, 

 must be ranked a few of the social tribes, ants, wasps, and 

 hornets. The first-mentioned indefatigable and industrious 

 creatures kill and carry off great numbers of insects of every 

 description to their nests, and prodigious are their efforts in 

 this work. I have seen an ant dragging a wild bee many 

 times bigger than itself ; and there was brought to me, this 

 very morning, while writing this letter, an Elater quite alive 

 and active, which three or four ants, in spite of its struggles, 

 were carrying off. An observing friend of mine ^, who was 



1 In the former edition of this work (Vol. IV. p. 392.), this tribe is denomi- 

 minated Eupodina ; but as this seems too near to M. Latreille's Eupoda, belong- 

 ing to a different tribe of beetles, we have substituted the above name, which 

 means the same. 



2 One was taken at Aldeburgh in Suffolk by Dr. Crabbe, the celebrated poet ; 

 another by a young lady at South wold, which is now in the cabinet of Joseph 

 Hooker, Esq. ; and a third by a boy at Norwich, crawling up a wall, which was 

 purchased of him by S. Wilkin, Esq. 



3 Latr. Hist. Nat. x. 181. 



•1 Linn. Trans, vi. 149. Kirby, Ibid. ix. 42, 43. 

 5 The late R. Kittoe, Esq. 



Q 4 



