166 Notes upon the Food of Predaceous Beetles. 
like larva, and, after disabling it, to start off to select a 
proper place to devour it. After the lapse of several 
minutes, it returned to drag its victim under a small clod 
of dirt and leisurely feast upon it. 
After the same manner a Bradycellus rupestris Say 
was surprised under a stone while eating a small white 
thread-like worm. 
Another family of beetles whose hitherto almost untar- 
nished reputation it seems to have fallen to my lot to soil 
is the Coccinellidae. With the exception of Epilachna 
borealis Fab. the larva of which feeds upon the vines of 
the gourd family, 9 these insects in our country have been 
considered strictly carnivorous, although several Euro- 
pean species are known to deviate from this rule. 
This season, specimens of Megilla maculata DeG. have 
been taken while feeding upon the pollen of the dande- 
lion, Taraxacum dens-leonis , and it is not at all improb- 
able that the pollen of other plants also forms a part of 
their diet, as they are rather common upon the blossoms 
of plants and fruits. 
No accurate estimation of the value of the Coleoptera 
could be obtained without including the Telephoridce. Be- 
sides Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus Forst., which has 
been found feeding upon the larvae of the Conotrachelus 
nenuphar Hbst., 10 and Telephones bilineatus Say, which 
is such a powerful auxiliary in checking the ravages of 
the western locust, 11 Podabrus tomentosus Say has been 
observed feeding upon the cottonwood gall-lice, Pemphi- 
gus populivenae Fitch, and the P. populicaulis Fitch. 
These beetles sometimes place themselves at the opening 
of the gall, occasionally as many as four together, and 
catch the mature lice as they attempt an egress, and 
sometimes plunge their flat head and thorax into the cav- 
ity and draw forth and devour large and small indis- 
criminately. During the latter part of June and the first 
of July these beetles are very abundant, not only upon 
trees affected by gall-lice, but upon other plants also. 
9 Am. Ent., Vol. II, p. 373. 
10 Am. Ent., Vol. I, pp. 35 and 51. 
11 Report U. S. Ent. Comm., Vol. T, p. 302. 
