COLEOPTERA . 5 19 
almost always ornamented with longitudinal ridges and 
rows of punctures. 
Most members of this family are predaceous, feeding 
upon other insects, which they spring upon or capture by 
chase. A few species use vegetable food ; but their depre¬ 
dations are rarely of economic importance. As there are 
more than eleven hundred described North American 
species, and as many of the species are very common, this 
family may be considered the most important family of 
predaceous insects. 
The larvae of ground-beetles are generally long, with the 
body of nearly equal breadth throughout (Fig. 622.) They 
have sharp projecting mandibles ; and the 
caudal end of the body is usually fur¬ 
nished with a pair of conical bristly ap¬ 
pendages. They live in the same obscure situations as the 
adult insects, but are more shy, and are consequently less 
frequently seen. Like the adults, they are predaceous. 
Among the more common ground-beetles are the fol¬ 
lowing :— 
The Searcher, Calosoma scrutator (Cal-o-so'ma scru-ta'- 
tor).—This is one of the larger and more beautiful of our 
ground-beetles; it has green or 
violet wing-covers margined 
with reddish, and the rest of the 
body is marked with violet-blue, 
gold, green, and copper (Fig. 
623). This beetle and the follow¬ 
ing have been known to climb 
trees in search of caterpillars. 
The Fiery Hunter, Calosoma 
calidum (C. cal'i-dum), is some¬ 
what smaller than the preced¬ 
ing, and is easily recognized by 
the rows of reddish or copper- 
colored pits on the wing-covers (Fig. 624). 
Fig. 622. 
