101 
A FEW FRIENDS. 
hatches, and produces a grub that feeds on the body of its 
host. These insects, therefore, do good in preying upon 
caterpillars which infest plants generally in the garden. It 
may be taken as a general rule that all insects which are 
seen hovering over plants are either Ichneumon flies or 
Hawk flies, and friends of the gardener worth taking care of. 
Lacewing Fly (ChrysoJa perla). — Doubtless, many 
readers have noticed on their plants in the summer time, a 
number of very fine white hairs, with little knobs at the 
end, and have come to the conclusion that they were some 
minute form of fungus. Nothing of the kind. The little 
filaments are simply appendages with an egg at the end. 
The Friendly Lacewing Fly. 
A most beautiful insect, which lays its eggrs on the ends of tender filaments as shown. 
The larv®, which are curious-looking: creatures, set to work at once to devour grreen 
flies on plants. Fig^. 1, Lacewing Fly depositing its eggs; 2, tiny eggs attached to 
filaments ; 3, larva covered with the dead skins of aphides it has eaten ; 4. larva mag- 
nified ; 5 and 6. coccons in which larvae pupate. 
In a short time the tiny knobs at the ends of the filaments, 
or eggs, give birth to dirty-white or pale-brown coloured 
larvae, marked with brown or orange spots, and with tufts of 
hair on each side of their body, like specimen (Fig. 4), 
which is greatly magnified. The parent insect seen nestling 
on the shoot has a slender body, and pale green, gauze-like 
wings, with golden eyes. The Lacewing fly is really a most 
beautiful insect, and cannot fail to be recognised when once 
seen. The larva, which will be easily recognised by reference 
to Fig. 4, is like that of the Hawk fly. The larvae are 
very voracious creatures, and will devour thousands of 
green-flies in a remarkably short space of time if not in- 
terfered with. Chrysanthemum growers should therefore be 
careful not to kill the perfect insects, which will be recognise^^ 
