Rambles along Nature's Highway

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 57, 7 March 1936, Page 6 (Supplement)

Rambles along Nature's Highway

load. One feels so rich with, these memories. . . . Now I shall confess that I stayed little more than a week in England at this stage, as I decided to go at once to Sweden and Norway to see as much as possible of their wild flowers before the summer ended there, and to retnri? through Scotland when the ling or purple heather would be at its best. One pilgrimage— to Kew—we did not dream of neglecting, and that was carried out even before our land legs were quite steady after the seven weeks at sea. We went several times during the first week, not so much as botanists, but as the millions go, simply to revel in the spaciousness of a gay and glorious garden—Kew, a Royal garden, and the Mecca of lovers of flowers. Once we sat a whole morning on the solid and comfortable soil just gazing out 011 long vistas of sward and green trees while the throb of the boat beat fainter and fainter in our ears. Of course, we saw more, much indeed that the average visitor never sees, and for this we had to thank Sir Arthur Hill, who did everything in his power to make our visits to Kew as profitable as possible. He knew our wild flora, and, indeed, he always has been most anxious that we should keep our treasures (Rangitoto, for example) unspoiled, and it was with some pride that he showed us his special room for filmy ferns (hymenophyllums), where New Zealand species were counted amongst the glories of Kew.

THE TIGER-LIKE INSECT A BEETLE OF PREY.

By E. G. TURBOTT.

ON the farm, with its central clay road that is little used, it was only natural that I should have first met the New Zealand tigerbeetle in quite early days. We took a sporting interest in the well-known "penny doctors"—the larvae of this beetle. "John, come and catch penny doctors!" was often suggested by "the others." These penny doctors have their burrows in some dry situation such as a sun-heated path or road cutting. From conspicuous, numerous circular openings about one-tentli of an inch wide, the shafts, still of this diameter, go down to a depth of from four to six inches. Lurking in the burrows ready to seize anything coming near, as I shall describe, are the fierce penny doctors. Everyone knows how to catch them. Poke down a blade of grass or a straw. This is immediately seized by the penny doctor grub. Pull up the "line" smartly, and there is the animal dangling from the end. A Fighting Beetle. "What are penny doctors?" I would ask my grandfather. "They are grubs, being the larvae of the common New Zealand tiger-

beetle (Cicinclela tuberculata)," he would answer. He likes putting in the orderly scientific tag. I can prove to you that the tigerbeetle deserves his name. Although only about half an inch long, he feeds on flieSj caterpillars and other insects, and cares little when these are a good deal larger than himself. My grandfather showed me a bqok in which the well-known New Zealand naturalist, Mr. G. V. Hudson, describes an occasion when, he says: "I saw a male specimen of Cicindela parryi (a species closely allied to, but smaller than, C. tuberculata) attack a large Tortrix caterpillar an inch and a half in length. The beetle invariably sprang upon the back of the caterpillar and bit it in the neck, being meanwhile flung over and over by the larva's vigorous efforts to free itself from so unpleasant an assailant. During the fight, which lasted fully 20 minutes, the beetle was

compelled to retire periodically to gain fresh strength to renew its attacks, which were eventually successful, the unfortunate Tortrix becoming finally completely exhausted. The beetle devoured but a very small portion of the caterpillar, and, abandoning the remainder, went off in search of freeli prey." This ferocious beetle, adorned with its whitish-patterned back, is common throughout New Zealand, and is quite well known. It is very active on hot, sunny days, and acts like the ground lark, running and flying before a walker along such a road as ours in the country. In a bettle such habits are unusual, of course. This beetle can actually take wing as quickly as a blue-bottle fly, and runs for a short distance very fast, especially if hunting, when it will suddenly stop, with its head raised, between each piece of running. When Young. The grub is also a "tiger"! Last November, always the time of year when the burrows are first seen, I cut into the earth through one of these holes. At the bottom it was slightly curved, and it contained a penny doctor. As sketched, the grubs are larger than the parent beetles. On the fifth section of their abdomen they have a back hump which gives rise to two hooks. By these hooks the larvae hold themselves near the shaft-top, while both legs and jaws are free to deal with insects approaching or coming into the hole. When, after about three weeks, the full-grown insects come abroad, they live round about, not now tunnelled into, the same dry roada and banks.