48 



GENERAL ZOOLOGY 



This exertion removes the carcass from the field of opera- 

 tions of other creatures which might feed upon it, if it were 

 left exposed, and thus destroy the eggs, or larvae. As these 

 beetles are protected by a fetid odor, their striking markings 

 are usually spoken of as an example of warning coloration, 



iiiy 



i 



Fig. 31. Diving beetle. (Slightly enlarged) 



a term applied to those appearances in animals which are 

 thought to be useful in notifying enemies of the presence of 

 something disagreeable or dangerous. 



Lady Beetles. The common and well-known insects vari- 

 ously called lady beetles, ladybugs, or ladybirds (An'atis, 

 Fig. 33), are hemispherical in shape and generally reddish or 

 yellowish in color, with black spots. Both the imagoes and 

 larvae of most species feed upon scale insects, plant lice, and 



