LADYBIRD BEETLES. 273 



ladybirds in a box for a day and night with numer- 

 ous aphides. There were seven of them, and on the 

 next morning at 11.15 there were no aphides and 

 only one larva left, and the latter was just finishing 

 his meal of one of his brothers. These were 

 larvffi of Leis conformis. It is Jiot to be wondered 

 at that the larvae of ladybirds take to fruit juices 

 as food, for the aphides are just full of the plant- 

 juice which they so rapidly abstract. Of course it 

 undergoes some change in the body of the aphis, 

 but at any rate they can change their diet of aphides 

 to fruit juices and back again to aphides, seemingly 

 without any concern. 



In Novermber and December we observed larva? 

 of Lets conformis on a vine of Wistaria. There 

 were no apliides on the leaves, but we noticed 

 that most of the leaves were turning first a mottled 

 green, tlien yellow, and then tliey fell. We examined 

 some of them with a lens and saw that tlie 

 whole plant was badly infested witli a mite, and 

 that the ladybird larva? were devouring them. The 

 mites could be seen with the naked eye as tiny fawn 

 or dark-coloured dots and were very active, moving 

 quickly over the leaf. 



We observed also that many of the ladybird larva? 

 were devouring their fellows as the latter were 

 changing their skins. 



Probably the chance of a larger repast was tempt- 

 ing, for the mites were tiny, and kept the ladybird 

 larvse busy devouring them. 



