Notes upon the Food of Predaceous Beetles. 163 
But, true to the adage “ murder will out”, occasionally 
a species is found feeding upon vegetation with a vorac- 
ity that would do credit to a Chrysomelid. Of these in 
Europe, besides the Zabrus gibbus in both stages, some 
of the Pterosticlii, Amar<>, Omopliron and Calathus latus 
Westw., are said to injure grain by eating oft the young 
shoots or destroying the seed. 3 
Two species of Bembidium ( lampos and monticola) 
have been destructive to the forests of upper Austria. 4 
Broscus cephalotes attacks the growing grain, and 
Aristus bucephalus devours the seeds of grass. 5 * 
In our own country the Omophron labiatum Fab. in- 
jures the shoots of young corn in the Southern States. 
Harpalus caliginosus Fab. is suspected of feeding upon 
grain in stack in Maryland, and also of eating timothy 
seeds from the heads/’ 
E. T. Dale, of Jasper, Mo., forwarded to the editors of 
the American Entomologist specimens of an insect found 
by him feeding upon the seeds of a plant unknown to him. 
Upon examination they proved to be H. caliginosus . 7 8 
According to Mr. Mather, of Marshalltown, Iowa, the 
larvae of some species of Harpalus are destructive to his 
evergreens, he having found them eating off the roots/ 
The foregoing is a synopsis of all facts relating to the 
vegetable-feeding Carabidse, so far as known to the 
author of this paper. A number of years ago the writer 
commenced the study of the food of beetles, correctly 
judging from what was then known, that either natural- 
ists were in error in their suppositions or else that inno- 
cent insects were wrongly accused. And he is free to 
confess his partiality to the former theory as being the 
most correct. But 'after several years of study and ob- 
servation, I have found to my astonishment not only the 
species accused but others also of this family feeding 
largely upon vegetable substances, both useful and nox- 
ious. Among my earliest observations on this subject I 
s Report U. S. Agr. Dept., 1868, pp. 79-80. 
4 Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, 1879, p. 417. 
5 Westwood’s Introduction, I, p. 61. ^ 
€ Report U. S. Agr. Dept., 1868, p. 80. 
7 Am. Ent. Vol. I, p. 80. 
8 Am. Ent. Vol. III. p. 26. 
