A FEW FRIENDS, 311 



little creatures, with their scarlet coats and black spots, 

 will be found running freely over chrysanthemums and 

 many other plants during the summer, and, if they are 

 carefully watched, will be observed attacking any hapless 

 Greenfly that may come in their way. The Seven-Spotted 

 Ladybird (see below) is the most commonly met with. All, 

 however, may be easily distinguished by their brilliant 

 colour, and wherever seen they should certainly not be 

 interfered with, as they help to clear plants generally of 

 one of the gardener's worst pests^the Greenfly. Still 

 more useful and still more voracious than the parents are 

 the larvai, commonly known as " Crocodiles " or "Alli- 

 gators." These creatures are hatched froin buff-coloured 



TESTACELLA SLUG (TBSTACELLA HALIOTOIDES). 

 A slug which feeds on worms and soil grubs generally. 



eggs, which are laid underneath the leaves by the Lady- 

 bird Beetles. As soon as the little " Crocodiles " begin 

 to move about they at once devour the Aphides, a single 

 specimen being able to clear off hundreds of these pests 

 in a remarkably short space of time. They live for about 

 three weeks in the larval stage, then turn to pupse, and in 

 three weeks emerge as perfect beetles, ready to lay their 

 clusters of buff-coloured eggs underneath the leaves. 



Testacella Slug:. — This belongs to a small family, 

 having but three species, recorded from Britain, Europe, 

 ^nd the Canary Islands. They form a connecting link 



