174 
Notes on Insectivorous Coleoptera. 
Twenty-eiglit specimens of Carabidse, representing sev- 
enteen species, are here reported. It will be seen that 
twenty-one specimens, belonging to fifteen species, had 
eaten animal food, and that twenty specimens, belonging 
to eleven species, had eaten vegetation of some sort. I 
estimated as carefully as possible the relative amounts 
of these two kinds of food in the alimentary canal of each 
insect, and from these data concluded that about half the 
food of these twenty-eight specimens consisted of vegeta- 
tion, and that one-tliird of it consisted certainly of in- 
sects — the remainder being made up of doubtful animal 
matter. About one-third of the vegetable food had been 
derived from cryptogamic plants and another from the 
different structures of grasses, Composite and other 
miscellaneous vegetation making up the remainder. Con- 
sidering the fact, however, that the commonest species 
were found feeding upon vegetation far the most gen- 
erally, it is likely that, taking the Carabidse as a group, 
not more than one-third or one-fourth of their average 
food consists of animal matter. 
Food of Podabrus. 
The contents of three stomachs of Podabrus tomen- 
tosus were examined; and all these had eaten only the 
spores of Phoma mentioned under Loxopeza. The speci- 
mens were all sent .me in July, by Mr. A. S. McBride, of 
Freeland*, 111. 
Food of CoccinellidtE. 
Coccinella novem-notata. — Two specimens which were 
taken at Normal, in August, were examined, agreeing 
very closely in their food, each having eaten various 
spores of fungi (about ninety per cent.) and plant-lice 
(ten per cent.). Among the fungus spores, Professor 
Burrill, to whom they were submitted, recognized spores 
of Ustilago and Helminthosporium; and a few lichen 
spores were also noticed. 
Brachyacantha ursina. — The stomach of one individual 
of this species contained only a few fungus spores.* 
* I have assured myself that none of the fungi found in the alimentary 
canals of these beetles were entophytes. 
