LADYBIRDS (Coccinella). These are a group of small beetles of very great value to horticulturists, inasmuch as the larvae feed on Aphides, and aid much in limiting their ravages. The Coccinellidae have never more than three distinct joints in the tarsi, have antennae shorter than the thorax, and are usually hemispherical in form. The legs are short, and are seen very little beyond the wing-cases. The species are numerous, but form a very natural assemblage in respect of structure, though the individual species are so variable in colour as to have been often described under several names. They excrete, from the joints of the legs, drops of a yellowish fluid with a disagreeable smell. At times, Ladybirds appear in countless swarms, especially after severe attacks of Aphides on Hops or other cultivated plants. They are commonly red with black spots, but vary in size and number of spots, and may be black with red spots, or unspotted red or black, or more or less marked with yellow. Among the commoner species are: C. septempunctata (Seven-spotted Ladybird, C. bipunctata (Two-spotted), C. undecimpunctata (Eleven-spotted), and C. variabilis. In Roman Catholic times, in Britain, these insects were regarded as sacred to the Virgin: hence the name Ladybirds, or Ladycows.