Shore Bugs

(Family Saldidae.)
The active little bugs of this family which have been dubbed "shore bugs" by Comstock for the reason that they are always found upon the sea beach or the shores of fresh-water ponds or lakes are not numerous in species, although individuals are plentiful. Ninety-seven species have been described and about thirty occur in this country. Their color is usually black, brown or drab with whitish markings, the head is free and the eyes prominent. They are carnivorous and feed upon other beach inhabiting creatures, being frequently seen with the beak thrust into the body of some drowned insect. Every sea beach from Cape Cod to the Florida Keys has some kind of these shy little bugs which resemble tiger beetles in their habits. Some of them burrow under ground. The life history of none of them is well known, yet they offer an apparently easy field for investigation. One swift and strong form from Java has been given the generic name Velocipeda by Bergroth.