266 Bugs, Butterflies, and Beetles 



somewhere around 1855 or 1859, that the potato- 

 bugs began to attract attention by attacking the 

 neighboring fields and working eastward. Eiit 

 they took it leisurely and were in no hurry, be- 

 cause they were living on the fat of the land. They 

 had nineteen years of riotous living before they 

 reached the Atlantic Coast. The beetles have 

 crossed the Atlantic a number of times, but they 

 were recognized over there as undesirable citizens 

 before they could multiplj^ or spread. 



The Colorado beetle is a striped fellow, con- 

 siderably larger than a green pea, which is almost 

 equivalent to saying as big as a piece of chalk. It 

 is a trifle over a half an inch in length, it is almost 

 oval and of a yellov/ color with black stripes and 

 blotches. Its wings are red and show when it flies. 

 Red is the sign of danger, of revolution, of energy, 

 and I think this insect stands for all three (Fig. 

 246) . Of course it is the larva} which eats the most, 

 but in this case the beetle also feeds upon the 

 potato plants. 



LADY-BUGS, LADY-BIRDS 



They formerly used lady-bugs to cure the 

 toothache, now thev use them to cure the San Jose 



