SCIENTIFIC NOTES. 103 



localities where it occurs. I have found both larva and beetle on clover 

 and other plants at Chattenden, Kent. Mr. Battley brought me some 

 specimens from Southend; Mr. Newbery obtained it near Southampton; 

 Mr. T. W. Hall captured a few specimens, singly or in pairs, in 

 Hertfordshire, and also near London ; Mr. A. Ford finds the species 

 common in the Hastings district. Many other localities are given in 

 Canon Fowler's work, but those enumerated above are quite sufficient 

 for the purposes of this paper. 



CocciNELLiD^ APHiDiPHAGiE. — The term Aphidiphagi was first used 

 by Latreille, as referring to the carnivorous habits of the species 

 included in this division of CoccinellidcE. It may be as well, however, to 

 mention that in Kirby and Spence's Entomology it is stated that 

 the larva of Cocci?iel/a hieroglyphica " eats the leaves of the common 

 heath {Erica vulgaris) after the manner of Lepidoplera." Of this point 

 I have not been able to satisfy myself, but judging from the structure 

 of the mouth organs, etc., I believe it to be similar in habits to the other 

 species of the genus. Life history. — The perfect insects pass the winter 

 in a state of hybernation, hiding behind bark of trees, in odd cracks 

 and corners generally. On the approach of spring the beetles come 

 out, and the females may be found in suitable localities depositing their 

 eggs, usually on the underside of leaves or on the stems of plants, 

 trees, etc., which are infested with Aphides. Sometimes a number of 

 eggs are deposited together, but more often the parent beetle distributes 

 them over several plants. The young larvae appear in a few days, and 

 are mostly of a slaty-blue colour, but this varies according to the species. 

 In the majority of cases, however, some traces of the wing-pattern are 

 more or less discernible. The larvae immediately commence their 

 attacks on the Aphides., devouring and slaughtering them indiscrimi- 

 nately. It is somewhat interesting to watch the Ladybird larvae at 

 feeding times, and note their method of operation. On one occasion 

 while experimenting with larvae of Coccinella w-punctata in my garden, 

 I witnessed the destruction of twelve Aphides by a single larva in about 

 five minutes. It was on a July afternoon, and I was endeavouring to get 

 the former species to feed on the Aphides clustered on some scarlet-runner 

 beans. I placed a larva on a leaf which contained a goodly 

 number of Aphides. It immediately roused itself like an animal 

 scenting prey. First one Aphis was caught up in its jaws, given a sort 

 of shaking, then dropped, as if the flavour was not of the right sort. 

 Other Aphides became victims in the same way, when the Ladybird 

 larva moved off to a new hunting-ground. The experiment of trying 

 to rear the larva of C. wpundata on the garden Aphides proved 

 eventually an utter failure, and I was only able to obtain a couple of 

 starved specimens from about 50 or 60 larvae, and these, I believe, were 

 nurtured from the carcases of their brethren in confinement. To 

 resume the subject, the larva, on reachmg the full-fed stage, fastens its 

 tail to a leaf, generally choosing the upper surface, the body attaining 

 an upright position, and it then changes to pupa. The duration of the 

 pupal stage seldom exceeds six days, when the beetle emerges quite 

 perfect. At first the elytra (or wing cases) are of an uniform white, but 

 in a short time, however, the dark markings begin to appear, and in a 

 few hours the wing-cases are of the proper pattern and colour. 

 Variation. — It is well known to most coleopterists that the Ladybird 



