131 



body and a single pair of legs to each segment. So far 

 as known they feed upon small worms, slugs, insect 

 larvae, 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 ^ro) many kinds are beneficial and 

 may be divided into two groups, (ij 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 larvse, the larvae 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 wdthin 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 tw^o of the 

 most important families of beneficial Insects may be 

 briefly mentioned. 



Ground Beetles, or Carabida:^, 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 knowm to be injurious, but it is 

 a safe rule never to destroy these Insects when seen, with 

 the exception of those frequenting strawberry beds, w^hich 

 usually pertain to a harmful species. The larvas 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 pupae are found buried some 

 niches below the surface. Lady BIRDS are beetles be- 

 longing to the family of the Coccinellidae. We have a 

 number of species in this country, and one of the com- 

 monest and best known is the Seven-Spot Lady Bird 



