BEETLES. 



311 



whic 



Of larger species, Chilocunts Inridntrioi is Mack, nearly hemispherical, with a siiio-k' 

 red spot upon each elytron. It is ut'ten to lie fdiiml aliout orchards, upnu the trunks 

 of the trees, and its spiny, dark-colored pujiiu are not rare, three or four in groups, in 

 crevices of the bark. This sjieeies, as well as C. cacti, found abundantly on the Pacific 

 coast, pri'v upon scale-insects, and are consequently among the most useful frieinls 

 of fruit-growers. In Europe ('. hipa.'italatus is abundant in all stages on a species of 

 huckleberry ( Vdrcinhiiii iin/rtilhi>:). 



Cocci/ielht is hemisjjherical, hairless, and contains many pretty sjiecies, 

 have received oftentimes scientific names to indicate the minilier 

 or natui'e of their spots. Among them, ('. nurcuinotutu, the nine- 

 s|i(itted lady-bird, has a black .and white liead and jirothorax, and 

 reddish ehtra, on which are nine nmnil bhick spots. The figures 

 give :i good idea of the a]i]icarancc of this s]iccies. C. scptempmic- 

 tdta, the seven-spotted lady-bird, one of the largest and commonest 

 European species of this family, i-escmbUs in a general way C. noc- 

 onnotata, and was used in cailic-r tinu's, like some other sjiecies of 

 lady-birds, as a remedy for tontliaclic. I'^nrskal, lute as 1775, enu- 

 merates C'occineUa hi the mut'i-la nudh-a nf Cairo, Egypt. In the accompanying 

 figure are a few other comm(in Eurojiean lady-birds. 



h;. .".47. — Coccitl- 

 clfa noremnotaia, 

 pup;i above. 



- Lui upe in 1 1 h I 1 t / J f f I p I t I It I r ( I b j l t I U 



(?, toccuiella septi^m punctata , and c, larva; J, Mtfirupm duodcctmpu/tctata. 



Aihilid !iij,inirtiit(i is our most couniiou species, and is often called the two-spotted 

 lady-liird. Its head is black, with two yellow spots on each side above; jirothorax 

 black, with yellow later.al jiortions, and a few dorsal yellow spots; scntellum black; 

 elytra reddish-yellow, each with one central rouml black sjiot. lu'iieatli, the epiplcura' 

 are reddish-yellow; the margins of the prothorax yellow; all else black. This species 

 hibernates in large numbers under bark, in barns, and even in houses. Tn early sjiring 

 the two-spotted lady-birds come out of their hiding-jilaces and lay their oMoul;- yellow 

 eggs in little masses upon the bark of trees, choosing localities where there is a pros- 

 pect of an abundant supjily of plant-lice, ujiou which their larvw feed. A few of 

 these beetles brought indoors and jiut ujion house-jilants will seek out the plant-lice, 

 and the females, if they discover a colony of plant-lice, will dejjosit their eggs near 



