34. 



LADY-BEETLES. 



feet and still shorter feelers are well hidden beneath the tur- 

 tle-shaped shell and are not visible unless the beetle is in motion. 

 Beautiful as the adult beetles are, their larvae are horrible look- 

 ing objects, having their surface covered with long or pointed 

 spines ; others are protected by being covered with fine white 

 down. The pupa is not formed in the soil but inside the larval 

 skin, which splits open at the back, surrounding the pupa like 

 a tight-fitting over-coat with the front not closed by buttons. In 

 other cases the larval skin is forced backwards, and remains as a 

 little crumpled pad about the posterior end. The larval skin in 

 the former case is tightly fastened to the plants, and remains in 

 this position sometimes long after the beetles have left both pupal 

 and larval skins. 



Fig. 34. — Hippodamia convergent, 

 Guer. After Riley. 



Pig. 37. — Anatis 15 punctata, Say. 

 After Riley. 



Fig. 35. — Coccinella sanguinea, Linn. 

 After Riley. 



Lady-bugs are well-known, and may be seen in large numbers 

 upon trees infested with plant-lice and scales. Both larvae and 

 adults eat these beings very greedily, and destroy immense num- 

 bers of them. Without their presence and assistance plant-lice 

 increase so rapidly that in a very short time the plants would be 

 entirely covered with them, and as a consequence might suffer 

 very much, or would even be killed. 



As the life-history of all lady-bugs is very similar, it is not 

 necessary to describe in detail all the species found upon our 



