246 



H E M I P T E E A , 



tender herbaceous plants cannot he treated in this Avay, but 

 may sometimes be revived, when suffering from these hidden 

 foes, by free and frequent watering with soapsuds. 



Plant-hce would undoubtedly be much more abundant 

 and destructive, if they were not kept in check by certain re- 

 doubtable enemies of the insect kind, which seem expressly 

 created to diminish their numbers. These lice-destroyers 

 are of three sorts. The first are the young or larva? of the 

 hemispherical beetles familiarly known by the name of lady- 

 birds, and scientifically by that of Coccinella. Tliese little 

 beetles are generally yellow or red, with black spots, or, 

 black, with white, red, or yellow spots ; there are many kinds 

 of them, and they are very common and plentiful insects, 

 and are generally diffused among plants. They live, both in 

 the perfect and young state, upon plant-lice, and hence their 

 services are very considerable. Their young are 

 small flattened gi'ubs (Fig. 93) of a bluish or 

 blue-black color, spotted usually with red or yel- 

 low, and furnished with six legs near the fore 

 pai-t of the body. They are hatched from little 

 yellow eggs, laid in clusters among the plant- 

 lice, so that they fnid themselves at once within 

 reach of their prey, which, from their superior strength, 

 they are enabled to seize and slaughter in great numbers. 



In July, 1848, a friend sent to me a whole brood of 

 lady-bird grubs, which, being found upon potato-vines, were 

 thought by some of his neighbors to be the cause of the 

 rot. In a few weeks the grubs were transformed to beetles, 

 about as big as half a pea, and having nine 

 black dots on their dull orange-colored wing- 

 shells. Hence they derive their name of 

 Cocciyiella novemnotata, (Fig. 94, pupa and 

 imago, and Plate II. Fig. 4,) the nine-dot- 

 ted Coccinella. It need hardly be added, 

 that tliese little insects were wholly innocent 

 of all offence to the plants, upon which, Avhen infested with 



Fig. 94. 



