246 
HEMIPTEKA. 
Fig. 93. 
tender herbaceous plants cannot be treated in this way, but 
may sometimes be revived, when suffering from these hidden 
foes, by free and frequent watering with soapsuds. 
Plant-lice would undoubtedly be much more abundant 
and destructive, if they were not kept in check by certain re¬ 
doubtable enemies of the insect kind, which seem expressly 
created to diminish their numbers. These lice-destroyers 
are of three sorts. The first are the young or larvie of the 
hemispherical beetles familiarly known by the name of lady¬ 
birds, and scientifically by that of Coccinella. These little 
beetles are generally yellow or red, with black spots, or, 
black, with white, red, or yellow spots ; there are many kinds 
of them, and they are very common and i)lentiful insects, 
and are generally diffused among plants. They live, both in 
the perfect and young state, upon ])lant-lice, and hence their 
services are very considerable. Their young are 
small flattened grubs (Fig. fS) of a bluish or 
blue-black color, spotted usually with red or yel¬ 
low, and furnished with six legs near the fore 
part of the body. They are hatched from little 
yellow eggs, laid in clusters among the plant- 
lice, so that they find themselves at once within 
reach of their prey, which, from their superior strength, 
they are enabled to seize and slaughter in great numbers. 
In July, 1848, a friend sent to me a whole brood of 
lady-bird grubs, which, being found upon potato-vines, were 
thought by some of his neighbors to be the cause of the 
rot. In a few weeks the grubs were transformed to beetles, 
about as big as half a pea, and having nine 
black dots on their dull orange-colored wing- 
shells. Hence they derive their name of 
Coccinella novemnotata^ (Fig. 94, pupa and 
imago, and Plate II. Fig. 4,) the nine-dot¬ 
ted Coccinella. It need hardly be added, 
that these little insects were whollv innocent 
of all offence to the plants, upon which, when infested with 
Fig. 94. 
