‘ The egg hatches in ten days from the time it is laid, and immediately begins to. eat its way into the leaf and the larva form a burrow by feeding upon the pulp between the upper and under surface of the leaf, which, however, is not easily to the eye unless held up against the light, alperceptible suflBciently obvious after the larva has left though the track is become dry. The larva is full-fed and goes into it and it has the earth at the end of sixteen days, burying itself about an below the surface, and in such a situation that inch and a half may afford shelter in case of ram. I the tm-nip-leaf above that it remains in the earth about a have reason to believe into the perfect Beetle. Some ot fortnight before changing and pupae which I took in tbe the first specimens of larvae pulverised and very dry earth, and m a field I placed in finely

few days they were shrivelled up. The others I also put into

fine earth, and satui-ated it with water. Unfortunately, there was no opening at the bottom of the cup ; and the next day, perceiving that the earth was still saturated with water, I drained it and removed the larva, but they were all dead. This accident may serve to account for the scarcity of the insects after very wet seasons.’

The result of this and other experiments is, that the insects are in all probability attracted to their food-plant by scent ; and, as they have large wings which they can use well, it is impossible to keep them out of a field which contains their favom-ite food. Mr. E. Newman suggests that all weeds should be cut, dried, and kept in heaps until the Beetles are on the wing, when they should be placed in heaps on the windward side of the field and lighted, so that the smoke — strengthened with a little sulphur— may blow over the ground and repel the Beetles. If they can be kept off for a time, the plant gains strength, and then the Beetles cannot kill it, though they i may seriously damage it.

The name Phyllotreta is of Grreek origin, and signifies ‘leafborer.’ There are more than a hundred British species of these Kttle Beetles, and the now restricted genus Phyllotreta contains thirteen species. The larva of this Beetle is shown on Woodcut XXIII. Fig. a.

Another example of this family is shown on Woodcut XXIII. Fig. 3. Its name is Psylliodes hyoscyami. There is a curious structure in the antennae of the insects belonging to this genus— the second and third joints being so fused together as to form one long joint. The tibiae of the hind legs are abruptly sloped at the end, and the tarsi are set on the upper edge and above the apex. The colour of this Beetle is • green above and black below, a brassy gloss covering the whole of the surface. The large hinder femora are black, and the whole of the upper surface is thickly punctured, the punctures being arranged in striae on the elytra. It nion is not a very ^ com

insect. commonly

We now pass to the family of Tortoise the Cassidiidae, known by the popular and appropriate name of

Beetles. There is no possibility of mistaking these Beetles, : ) • 4 which are flat-bodied, rounded, and have the head completely hidden under the wide thorax, which overlaps the base of the elytra. As the insects sit upon leaves, the whole of the head and limbs are completely hidden by the thorax and elytra, just as are those of a tortoise by its shell. Most of the species are green, though some of them are adorned with spots and stripes of red and gold. All these coloui-s are exceedingly fugitive, t and vanish soon after the death of the insect. Glycerine has been tried with some of these insects, as mentioned on page 206.

A very common species, Cassida viridis, is shown on Woodcut XXIII. Fig. 4. It is of a rather dull-green colour, the base of the elytra taking a slightly reddish hue. It may be found plentifully on thistles.

At Fig. b of the same illustration is shown the extraordinary larva of the Tortoise Beetle. It is very flat, and has the sides covered with flattened spines. But the most curious portion of its structure is the forked apparatus that proceeds from its tail and passes over its back. This fork serves a very curious purpose. Like the larva of Griocevis merdigera, which has been described on p. 206, this creature is sheltered by a sort of umbrella formed of the same materials as those of Grioceris. But, instead of lying directly on the back, the umbrella is supported on the fork at some little distance from the body, when it becomes too weighty, it can be shaken off and a and,

one gradually produced. The pupa is scarcely less curious new

appearance, and is drawn at t ig. c. Woodcut XXIII. The in of the perfect insect is shown at d, and the labium maxilla at e. is only one British genus of this family, and it con-

There tains about thirteen species. One of the variegated species is shown on Plate VI. Fig. 11. Its name is Gassidamurroea, and its colour is sometimes red and sometimes green, blotched \vith and spotted with the same colour on the black near the suture disc.

CHAPTER XIV.

Pseudotrimera.

We now come to the last section of the Beetles, the Pseudo- TEiMBRA. This name is compounded of three Greek words, signifying ‘ false three-joints,’ and is given to the insects on account of the structure of their tarsi, which appear to have only three joints, though in reality they have four joints ; the missing joint, which is the third, being very minute, and hidden within the douhly-lobed second joint. This structure can he seen by reference to Woodcut XXIV. Fig. e, which represents the leg of a Lady-bird.

The first family of these Beetles, the Erotylidae, can be distinguished by the bold three-jointed club of the antennae, and the large flattened club-shaped last joint of the maxillary palpi. One example of this family is TrvplcLX Tussica, which is represented on Woodcut XXIII. Fig. 5. In this genus the body is oblong and the antennae rather stout, and the club has the last joint blunt and egg-shaped, and the other two joints transverse. The generic name, Triplax, is formed from two Greek words, signifying ‘three-plated,’ and is given to this genus on account of this structure of the club.

The present species is the largest of the genus, although it never exceeds a quarter of an inch in length. The head and thorax of this insect are red, and the elytra are deep blueblack. The abdomen is reddish, and the whole surface is shining. All the species of this genus live in fungi; and in such localities may be found this insect, which is not very common but IS more plentiful than seems to be the case on account of Its way of hiding itself within the fungi. There is another genus belonging to this family, called Engis, the members of which are found in similar localities. They are pretty little beings— shining, rather convex, and elongated, and usually dark-

brown with yellow thorax and shoulders. The peculiar threejointed club of the family will at once distinguish them. The genus Trijplax contains five English species.

The next family, the Cocdnellidce, is composed of insects I? which are very familiar to us under the popular name of Lady-

Coccinella ooellata. 2. Lycoperdina bovist®. 3. Trichopteryx atomaria. 4. Pselaphus Heisei. 6. Claviger foveolatua. a. Coccinella, larva. b. Coccinella, maxillaiy palpus, c. Coccinella, labium. d. Coccinella, antenna. e. Coccinella, leg.

or Lady-cows — the former being the more common as well birds name. These insects are all flat below as the more poetical above, the body is rounded and the antennae are and convex of the various parts of this genus is short. The structure XXIV., the antenna being represented at shown on Woodcut and its palpus at 6, the labium at c, and the kg, d, ihe maxilla joint of the tarsus, at e. The typical with the tiny third

genus, Cocdnella, has the hinder angles of the thorax acute.

Many species of these pretty insects inhabit England, but some

of the species are so exceedingly variable in point of colour,

that the varieties have been described as actual species by

practised entomologists. It is common enough to find a blue , insect running into shades of green, and vice versa ; but in some of these Lady-birds, the same species will be red spotted with black, black spotted or blotched with red, black spotted with yellow, yellow spotted and barred or blotched with black, and so on in infinite variety.

We will now briefly describe two species, one a rarity and the other a very common one, and then proceed to the habits of the insect. On Woodcut XXIV. Fig. 1, is represented a very beautiful insect, which we may call the Eyed Ladt-bihd {Goccinella ocellata). The head and thorax of this species are black, and on the latter are two yellow spots at the base and a patch of the same colour at each side. The elytra are red and upon each elytron are nine black spots, more or less oval’ each of them surrounded with a ring of yellow, giving them’ the ‘eyed’ appearance which is expressed by the specific ocellata. There is also a black, yellow-edged streak over the apex of the elytra. Several varieties of colouringare known. This insect has been found upon the pine, the fi^ ’ beech. and the

On Plate VI. Fig. 12, is drawn the common Seven-spot Lady-bird septempunetata), a species that derives its name from the seven black spots upon the elytra. These spots are exceedingly variable in size, and sometimes one or two spots are absent, while there is one variety in which there are no spots at all. It is represented in flight, in order to show the large size of its wings.

Beautiful as are the Lady-birds, it is not for their beauty alone that they are valued, inasmuch as they are among the greatest benefactors of civilised man, and preserve many a lurvest which, but for their aid, would be hopelessly lost. For m their larval state they teed upon the aphides-the ‘green ight or ‘green-fly’ of gardeners— and, being eaceedinvlv voracious, devour vast numbers of those destnfotive insefts what whit was Its real Coceinella larva' condition of life. It looks as harmless, dull’

sluggish a creature as can be imagined, and much more likely to he eaten itself than to eat other insects. Yet, with all

innocenee of aspect, it is so ruthless a destroyer of animal this

that if a few of them be placed on a bush or plant which life, with aphides, in a day or two not an aphis will is infested be left. * is the Lady-bird useful in those parts of the country

Especially hops are grown. There is an aphis which feeds specially where plant, and which has been known to destroy whole upon this in a single season, causing the greatest distress plantations whose living depends more or less directly among the multitudes the Lady-bird— usually the little upon the hop. Fortunately, hipunctata) comes to the Two-Spot Lady-bied {Gocci/riella the aphides wherever they are most plentirescue, and follows

ful. The mother insect lays her eggs in packets among the as the young larvae are able to move aphides, and, as soon to feed upon the insects near where they about, they begin have been placed. . , . a the swarms of Lady-birds almost exceed

Page 41 of 117