THE CRANE-FLY 
39 
LADY BIRDS 
DESCRIPTION—There are many species, the 
two usually seen in New Zealand being the “red and 
black” Lady Bird and the “all green” Lady Bird— 
sometimes called the “Manuka Beetle.” There is 
also a blue Lady Bird which is fairly common in 
fruit-growing districts. They are small cockchafer 
Beetles. The first kind has red wing cases with 
black spots. These cases cover a pair of small thin 
flying wings. The green Lady Bird is slightly 
smaller in size, and is nearly always found in 
manuka or tea-tree bushes. 
FOOD—The red and black Lady Bird is a 
parasite insect which does much good by eating 
rose aphides (green fly), scale insects and other 
tiny insect pests. The blue Lady Bird is also a 
useful parasite insect, destroying the scale insects 
on lemon trees. The green Lady Bird, however, is 
itself a pest, as it eats the leaves of tea-tree and 
other sinall-leaf bushes. 
NOTE—Large numbers are eaten by small birds, 
the Silver-eye being particularly fond of them. 
THE CRANE-FLY 
DESCRIPTION—Also called “Daddy Longlegs ” 
Like the Mosquito, it has only two wings, both of 
which are gauzy. They are very beautiful, especi¬ 
ally when examined under a magnifier. Its six 
legs are very long in proportion to its small, thin 
body; hence alternative name. 
CYCLE—The female lays her eggs about a 
quarter of an inch below the surface of the ground. 
