Lady-Birds. 



In order that the reader may not fall 

 into this serious error and be tempted to 

 destroy a good friend, we give a photo- 

 graphic portrait of this active little helper 

 who, during the four or five weeks of his 

 larval existence, is consumed bv a passion 

 for benefiting the gardener. It has six 

 fairly long, jointed legs, which are used with 

 more activity than is the case with most 

 beetle-grubs, and is of a slaty or purplish- 

 brown tint, diversified by raised spots of 

 black, blue, and red. What good, the 

 gardener ma}/ ask, can so small a creature 

 effect, even though its intentions are of 

 the best, as you say ? The best answer to 

 this question is to bid him watch one lady- 

 bird grub for an hour upon a green-fly- 

 infested leaf or shoot. He will find that 

 in that space of time the grub has destroyed 

 from thirty to forty of the green-fly ; and 

 as there are almost certainly a number of 

 them working upon the same plant, a day's 

 work of the squad goes a long way towards 

 clearance. Some of the methods employed 

 by the gardener only result in the green- 

 fly dropping off the foliage, and reascending 

 that or some other plant to continue their 

 work. When the lady-bird grub takes the 

 green-fly in hand it is a thorough clear u]). 

 The green-fly that has made acquaintance 

 with the grub's jaws has finished its work, 

 and leaves no descendants in the direct 

 line. 



When its month is up the lad\-bird 

 grub fastens its tail to the under side ol 

 a leaf, throws off its skin, and reveals itsell 

 as a short, stout, conspicuously spotted 

 chrysalis. This hangs for a short time in 

 order to develop its wings, and then 

 breaks out as a black-spotted, scarlet-coated 

 beetle, which continues to feed upon green- 

 fly. In this stage it flies about in the 

 sunshine and inspects plants to find which 

 are most in need of the services of its 

 children. Having found a badly infested 



/ 



Pholo by] 



\H. Mniii, F.E.S. 



Eggs of the Lady-Bird. 



A cluster ot more than twenty eggs of the common two- 

 spotted lady-bird deposited upon a rose-leaf. As may be 

 judged by the dimensions of the leaf, the photograph is on 



the scale -f *•• ' •'-- ■;i'-;-'-'^-- r . 



\ 



^ 1 



Photo by] 



L.\DY-BlRD GrCBS. 



A cluster o! epgs, such as is shown in the upper photograph, 

 has just hatched, and the young grubs are making their iirst 

 meal. They will soon disperse over the plant, each seeking 

 for itself a leaf that is attacked by a colony of green -fly. 



plant, the female lady-bird lays about 



