286 



INJUEIOtrS IITSECTS 



torn of its tunnel, where he can enjoy his meal at his 

 leisure. At figure 167 is seen the beetle and its larva. 



The most widely known and justly appreciated bene- 

 ficial beetles are the pretty little Lady-birds. Their 

 shining rounded elytra, or wing-cases, and bright colors 

 make them conspicuous objects. The ones most com- 

 monly noticed are red, spotted with black, but there are 

 others of a black color spotted with red, one especially 

 — a great benefactor — with two bright spots on the 

 shoulders, called the Twice-stabbed Lady-bird. And 



still others that are yellow, 



spotted and barred with black; 



but these colors are not always 



^^'— -^^s^TOBj^BT--^^^ the same in different individ- 



f ^i:^~^^^^^^^^^ uals of the same species — we 



If- i» ~ ^— ' '^ "1 "^^ scarcely find any two 



iL!!!lim,.«i,,iliii>»r^ I I marked precisely alike— but 



the general resemblances are 



the same. 



We do not know, we can 

 scarcely comprehend, the grea\, 

 value of these Lady-birds to 

 the agriculturist. Quietly and 

 silently they perform the work 

 of extermination before our 

 eyes, often unheeded, their 

 worth and value entirely un- 

 noticed or ignored. Last summer the leaves of a fine 

 plum tree were almost covered with Plant-lice (Aphides). 

 We gave it up as lost for that year, saying no fruit would 

 ripen, but shortly afterwards we rejoiced to see myriads 

 of Lady-birds on the tree; some of the twigs were fairly 

 red with the little creatures, their nvimbers were almost 

 past belief, and in a few days the Aphides disappeared, 

 and the tree yielded a good crop of plums. The species 

 was the Nine-spotted Lady-bird [Coccinnella novem' 



Fig. 167. — TIGEB-BEETLE AND 

 IiABVA. 



