SHEATH-WINGED INSECTS 



289 



and scientific titles to its powerful odour, which perhaps resembles that of sweetbriar rather 

 than musk, and can often be detected at a distance of twenty or thirty yards. The beetle, 

 which is rich metallic green in colour, with long, slender antennae, may be found in July 

 sunning itself on the trunks or foliage of willow-trees. It varies considerably in size. 



Still more plentiful is the WASP-BEETLE, with its black wing-cases banded with bright 

 yellow. While flying, it may easily be mistaken for the insect whose name it bears. The 

 grub lives in old posts, rails, hop-poles, etc., feeding upon the solid wood. 



The TlMBERMAN is remarkable for the extreme length of the antennas, which, in the male 

 insect, are three or four times as long as the body, and trail out far behind it during flight. It 

 is found, not uncommonly, in fir woods in Scotland. 



The beautiful HARLEQUIN BEETLE of tropical America is one of the largest members of 

 the group, and is remarkable for the great length of the front legs as well as for the singular 

 colouring of the wing-cases. It lives almost entirely in the 

 trees, swinging itself from branch to branch somewhat after the 

 manner of a spider-monkey. When it ventures into the air, 

 it is greatly incommoded by the size of its limbs and the 

 length of its antennae, and seems to have but little power of 

 directing its course. 



Another great group of beetles is that of the PLANT-EATERS, 

 many of which are exceedingly beautiful. The REED-BEETLES, 

 for example, are resplendent in crimson and green and purple 

 and blue, while the metallic radiance of others has gained for them 

 the title of GOLDEN APPLES. 



The notorious COLORADO BEETLE or POTATO BUG is a 

 member of this group. It may be recognised at once by the five 

 black streaks running down each of the yellow wing-cases. On 

 the havoc which it causes among potato-plants in North America 

 it is unnecessary to dilate. On a smaller scale, the TURNIP-FLEA 

 is very mischievous in Britain, perforating the leaves of turnip- 

 plants, or worse still eating off the seed-leaves as soon as they 

 appear above the surface of the ground. Of only too many of 

 these exquisite beetles, in fact, it must be said that their beauty is 

 only equalled by their destructiveness. 



The LADYBIRDS include a very large number of species. 

 Some of these, such as the common TWO-SPOT LADYBIRD, are 

 exceedingly variable, a long series being easily obtained in 

 which no two specimens resemble one another. Both as grubs 

 and as perfect insects they feed upon the " Green Fly " of the 

 farmer, combining with the grubs of the Lace-wing and Hoverer 

 Flies to keep its numbers within due limits. 



Almost equally common is the SEVEN-SPOT LADYBIRD, a considerably larger insect, with 

 seven round black spots on its scarlet wing-cases, which may be seen on almost any grassy 

 bank in spring. Both this and the preceding species sometimes visit the Kentish coast in vast 

 swarms, the beach being reddened by their bodies for miles. The last immigration of this 

 description took place in 1886, in the summer of which year the hops in East Kent were 

 almost destroyed by blight, and the ladybirds made their way at once to the hop-fields and 

 cleared them of the pest in a wonderfully short space of time. A much smaller species, 

 known as the TWENTY-TWO SPOT, is yellow in colour and has eleven black spots on each wing- 

 case. It is generally found crawling about on nettle-leaves in the early part of the summer. 



Allied to the Ladybirds are the very curious TORTOISE-BEETLES. In these insects the 

 wing-cases project to a considerable distance beyond the sides of the body, and the legs are 

 so short that only the feet can be seen from above, so that the appearance is very much like 



photo bi J. Ed-wards} [Ctltihrne 



REED-BEETLE 



Among the group to ivhich this insect belongi 



are many of the most brilliantly 



coloured British beetles 



