A LINGERING GOOD-BY. 211 



Of course where plant-lice are, there come the 

 larvae of the common lady-bugs. Rather fero- 

 cious-looking, but very harmless crea- 

 tures they are. A person will always 

 know the eggs after once seeing them. 

 They are bright yellow, oval, standing 

 perpendicularly on one end in a manner Larva ~ of 

 that Columbus' egg might have envied. Lady-bug. 



There were seven eggs that I found m ^ P c onver- 

 once on the back of a red rose-leaf, but gens. 

 the eggs turned gray just before hatching, and 

 something of the creatures within could be seen 

 through the walls. 



I saw several larvae just coming out of those 

 eggs. A hole would appear in the top of an egg 

 and the larva's head would appear. Then the 

 creature would slowly come out, pulling first one 

 foot free and then another, till all six were loose 

 from the egg. Two larvae lay on their backs, go- 

 ing through this operation. I finally helped one 

 free and put him on a leaf where he lay exhausted. 

 The legs of these larvae look preposterously long 

 when they first come from the egg and have not 

 yet walked. After a number of hours the bodies 

 of the larvae become darker, and the looker-on can 

 recognize the regular lady-bug-grub look. I have 

 raised numbers of thirteen - spot lady-bugs from 

 such larvae. 



There are a great many Aphides beside this 

 brook. One finds the creatures on very vary- 



