58 
BRITISH BEETLES. 
former may be known by the sloping shoulders and 
flattened upper surface of its wing-cases. 
Such species as live under bark or in the cracks of 
dried mud or cliffs are very thin and flat : others 
frequenting plants (in pursuit of vegetable-feeding 
insects), have their tarsi widened and adapted for 
climbing ; some, again, whose life is passed in wet 
sands, are narrow, cylindrical and smooth, with 
strongly toothed and widened front legs for burrowing ; 
— briefly, nature in all has fitted the instrument for 
the purpose in a degree more or less evident to our 
limited perceptions. 
Most of the active day-feeding species are metallic, 
shining and brightly coloured, some also being prettily 
banded or spotted ; a few are clothed with scales or 
scanty hairs, but the majority have plain suits of 
armour, more or less polished, and in some cases 
elegantly sculptured longitudinally: the prevailing 
tints are, however, black, dark brown, obscure red 
and dull green, with occasional metallic reflections. 
The best monograph of our British species is Daw- 
son’s “ Geodephaga Britannica ” (1854, Van Voorst ) ; 
this is, however, out of print and rather scarce, and 
many species have been’described since its publication. 
The larvae of the Geodephaga are mostly found in 
the same places as the perfect insects, and are equally 
carnivorous and active. A singular exception is never- 
theless afforded by Zabrus gibbus, the larva) of which 
have been stated to feed during the night upon young 
shoots of wheat, burying themselves by day. It is, 
however, somewhat doubtful whether their normal food 
may not be the grubs of a species of Cockchafer found 
at the roots of the wheat. 
