118 Rev. L. Guilding's Account of Margarodes. 



acids, while sulphuric turns them black. Vinegar slowly decom- 

 poses them. Exposed to flame they bubble and burn like horn. 



A most remarkable circumstance in the history of these ani- 

 mals is, the power which the puparia possess, when placed in 

 too dry a spot, to throw out gradually certain filiform and very 

 long organs, for the purpose of preventing the drying and de- 

 struction of the animal within by obtaining moisture by capil- 

 lary attraction. These organs 1 have named Siphones {fila ab- 

 sorbentia), a term, 1 believe, not already selected by Mr. Kirby. 

 They appear tubular, and are composed of parallel friable fibres. 

 At first I readily accounted for their appearance, by supposing 

 that they were delicate filiform fungi which had sprung up on 

 the pearls ; but on further investigation it proved that, contrary 

 to the law observed by Fungi, they were thrown out when placed 

 in a very dry camphorated box, or on dry soil ; and that they 

 only sprung from the half-obliterated spots which seem to mark 

 the position of the spiracula of the larva. There can, therefore, be 

 little doubt as to the use of these singular threads, which seem to 

 have no analogues in the animal kingdom, and which imitate in 

 so curious a manner the operation of some vegetable organs. 



St. Vincent, July 24, 1827. 



INSECTA. 



Ordo??* 



Genus. Margarodes. Guild. 



Character Genericus. 



Corpus obesum, molle. 



Caput evanidum. 



Thorax abdomine annuloso vix distinctus, 



* Ordo, statio, et affinitas omnino incerti. Locum monstret doctissimus amicus 

 Dominus Kirby. 



Os 



