Photo by J. Edwards, Colesborne.
REED-BEETLE.
Among the group to which this insect belongs are many of the most brilliantly coloured British beetles.
Another great group of beetles is that of the Plant-eaters, many of which are exceedingly beautiful. The Reed-beetles of Britain, for example, are resplendent in crimson and green and purple and blue, while the metallic radiance of others has gained for them the title of Golden Apples.
The notorious Colorado Beetle is a member of this group. It may be recognised at once by the five black streaks running down each of the yellow wing-cases. On the havoc which it causes among potato-plants in North America it is unnecessary to dilate. On a smaller scale, the Turnip-flea is very mischievous in Britain, perforating the leaves of turnip-plants, or—worse still—eating off the seed-leaves as soon as they appear above the surface of the ground. Of only too many of these exquisite beetles, in fact, it must be said that their beauty is only equalled by their destructiveness.
The Ladybirds include a very large number of species. Some of these, such as the common Two-spot Ladybird, are exceedingly variable, a long series being easily obtained in which no two specimens resemble one another. Both as grubs and as perfect insects they feed upon the "Green Fly" of the farmer, combining with the grubs of the Lace-wing and Hoverer Flies to keep its numbers within due limits.
Almost equally common is the Seven-spot Ladybird, a considerably larger insect, with seven round black spots on its scarlet wing-cases, which may be seen on almost any grassy bank in spring. Both this and the preceding species sometimes visit the Kentish coast in vast swarms, the beach being reddened by their bodies for miles. The last immigration of this description took place in 1886, in the summer of which year the hops in East Kent were almost destroyed by blight, and the ladybirds made their way at once to the hop-fields and cleared them of the pest in a wonderfully short space of time. A much smaller species, known as the Twenty-two Spot, is yellow in colour and has eleven black spots on each wing-case. It is generally found crawling about on nettle-leaves in the early part of the summer.
Allied to the Ladybirds are the very curious Tortoise-beetles. In these insects the wing-cases project to a considerable distance beyond the sides of the body, and the legs are so short that only the feet can be seen from above, so that the appearance is very much like that of a tortoise with the limbs partly withdrawn into the shell. Many different species are known, in some of which the wing-cases are streaked with brilliant metallic silver, which, however, fades away very shortly after death. The commonest of the British tortoise-beetles is found on thistles.
Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S.] [Regent's Park.