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“A Monograph of North American insects, of the genus Cincindela” (excerpt) Transactions of the American Philosophical Society (1818)

from Part One - 1800–1846 Naturals and Naturalists

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

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Summary

It will perhaps be thought necessary, previous to entering into a technical detail of the characters of the genus Cicindela, and of the indigenous individuals which are comprehended by it, that some account of the manners of this sprightly tribe should be given, and of such circumstances, relating to them, as may serve to present them to the recollections of the general observer. I shall accordingly proceed to state, that these insects usually frequent arid, denudated soils; are very agile, run with greater celerity than the majority of the vast order to which they belong; and rise upon the wing, almost with the facility of the common fly. They are always to be seen, during the warm season, in roads or pathways, open to the sun, where the earth is beaten firm and level. At the approach of the traveler, they fly up suddenly to the height of a few feet, pursuing then a horizontal course, and alighting again at a short distance in advance, as suddenly as they arose. The same individual may be roused again and again, but when he perceives himself the object of a particular pursuit, he evades the danger by a distant and circuitous flight, usually directed towards his original station. It is worthy of observation, as a peculiarity common to the species, that when they alight, after having been driven from their previous position, they usually perform an evolution in the air near the earth, so as to bring the head in the direction of the advancing danger, in order to be the more certainly warned of its too near approach.

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Publisher: Anthem Press
Print publication year: 2012

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