484 MRS. O. A.. MERRIiT HAWKES ON THE 



the Lady-bivd has some enemies besides parasitic Hies. In this 

 country the larvse are eaten to some extent by Syrpliid larvte, for 

 which I'eason it was imperative to examine carefully all leaves 

 put in the breeding-boxes, as if any of these voracious Syrphids 

 were inadvertently introduced, they soon made an end of the 

 Coccinellid larvae as well as the aphis. Spiders also eat these 

 larvae, as they have been found sucked dry in spider's webs on 

 several occasions. In England I have observed Flycatchers and 

 Sparrows taking septemjninctata and blpunctata, and also found 

 considerable numbers of the elytra of s&ptemjninctata in the 

 droppings of Sea-Gulls when that Coccinellid was abundant on 

 the coast. Elytra of hrpunctata and sej^temjyunctata have been 

 seen in the pellets of the Brown Owl. In Anaerica, Flycatchers 

 and young Swallows are stated to eat Lady-birds. There also 

 all stages of the Coccinellidse are eaten by Mantis religiosa and a 

 Wood-Bug, Podisus serieventris (1). 



g. Hibernation. 



The periodical appearance of vast numbers of various Cocci- 

 nellids has long been known. These appearances are of two tyjjes : 

 (1) increased numbers of the insects in various districts of the 

 country daring the spring or summer, in places ^7here there were 

 or had been large numbers of aphis; and (2) large numbers of 

 the insects at specified places, usually in the sj^ring or autumn, 

 where there was or had been no food. In the latter case the 

 insects are in close juxtaposition, and may occur in such quantities 

 that the term " masses," used by Johnson, most fitly describes 

 the case. 



Sejytempunclata have occurred in masses by the seaside in 

 England in the autumn, and Fabre (10) has observed them on 

 Mount Ventoux in the Vaucluse Alps at a height of 4500 feet 

 in June and October. This is a condition similar to Hippodam'm^ 

 which is constantly found in large masses on the western 

 American Mountains, where it is known that they gathei' to 

 hibernate. The same phenomenon possibly also occurs in the 

 Alps and other European mountains. The masses by the sea are 

 probably pre- and post-hibernation gatherings. Johnson suggests 

 that the yellow excretion mny play some part in gathering these 

 numbers together. If this is so at the time of hibernation, it 

 may also be a factor in gathering Coccinellida? together for 

 feeding purposes. 



In Staftbrdshire I have found hundreds of septemjninctata 

 swarming over sand-hillocks by the roads and on the commons, 

 on warm days in April, at a time when they are l)eginning to 

 emerge, in places where there is no sign of aphis. I have never 

 found hipunctata in large quantities, although they do collect in 

 small groups under bark for the winter hibernation. Mr. Alfred 

 Priest reported to me the presence of large numbers of bipunc- 

 iata in the neigIil)ourhooil of a disused chimney-stack in 



