131 
body and a single pair of legs to each segment. So far 
as known they feed upon small worms, slugs, insect 
larvze, etc., and also upon dead animal matter. ‘The Milli- 
pedes may be readily recognised by the possession of two 
pairs of legs to each body segment. They occasionally 
cause injury to potatoes and other root crops, and are 
often known as “ false wireworms.” 
Among INSECTS (10) many kinds are beneficial and 
may be divided into two groups. (i) Predaceous Insects 
which attack other Insects directly and devour them, and 
immediate benefit is derived from their action. Among 
these may be mentioned Ground Beetles, Lady-Birds and 
their larve, the larve of Hoverer Flies, Wasps, Robber 
Flies, and others. (2) Parasitic Insects which deposit 
their eggs in the bodies of other Insects or in their 
immediate neighbourhood. They pass the greater part 
of their life within their hosts, whose death they sooner 
or later bring about. Parasitic Insects amount to tens of 
thousands of species and constitute Nature’s most effec- 
tive method of control over the excessive multiplication 
of Insect life. They are almost exclusively confined to 
the orders Hymenoptera and Diptera. One or two of the 
most important families of beneficial Insects may be 
briefly mentioned. 
GROUND BEETLES, or Carabidz, form a very exten- 
sive family, comprising a large number of British 
species. They can be recognised by their hard convex 
bodies, long thin legs and slender feelers, and their very 
active running habits. The majority are beneficial, de- 
vouring other Insects, Molluscs, and dead animal matter. 
Some few, however, are known to be injurious, but it is 
a safe rule never to destroy these Insects when seen, with 
the exception of those frequenting strawberry beds, which 
usually pertain to a harmful species. The larve of 
Ground Beetles have very similar feeding habits to the 
adults. They are elongate fleshy creatures, with a 
definite hard, brown head and first segment, three pairs 
of legs and two horn-like processes, either long or short, 
at the hinder end of the body. They frequent the soil, 
can run freely, and their pupz are found buried some 
inches below the surface. ADY BIRDS are beetles be- 
longing to the family of the Coccinellide. We have a 
number of species in this country, and_one of the com- 
monest and best known is the Seven-Spot Lady Bird 
