398 Transactions. — Zoology. 



particularly injurious, although, as remarked just now, it is 

 difiicult to think this in view of its immense numbers. 



In a later letter Mr. Kingsley says, " It does not appear 

 to be increasing. . . . The owner has cut off and burnt 

 from time to tin:ie the most-infected branches. . . . One 

 tree at Bishopdale is getting very bad. . , . In the city 

 two trees are infected, but do not yet show signs of decay. 

 Most of the oaks do not appear to be much the worse 

 for it. ... I do not know of any spraying operations." 



In a still later letter (February, 1896) Mr. Kingsley tells 

 me that the trees are beginning to show signs of much damage 

 by this insect, and that it is feared in Nelson that a large 

 proportion of the fine oaks in that district will be most 

 seriously injured. 



Genus Eriococcus. 



Eriococcus spiniger, sp. nov. Plate XXL, figs. 9-11. 



Sac of female white, or with a very faint yellowish tinge ; 

 cylindrical ;. texture very closely felted. Length about ^in. 



Sac of male similar to but smaller than that of the female ; 

 the texture is perhaps somewhat looser. 



Adult female brown or yellowish-brown, filling the sac but 

 shrivelling at gestation. Abdomen ending in two conspicuous 

 but narrow cylindrical anal tubercles, each bearing several 

 short spines and terminated by long set®. Antennae of six 

 joints, of which the third and the sixth are the longest. Feet 

 rather slender ; tibia a little shorter than the tarsus ; all the 

 four digitules are line hairs. The epidermis bears great num- 

 bers of circular spinnerets of two sizes, and also very short fine 

 spiny hairs. On the margin there is a row of strong spines 

 with tubercular bases and blunted ends ; these spines are not 

 in a continuous row, being separated according to the seg- 

 ments of the body ; each cephalic and thoracic segment bears 

 on each side fourteen to sixteen spines, and each abdominal 

 segment five on each side. From these spines springs a fringe 

 of white tubes, which may be seen within the sac before gesta- 

 tion. The anogenital ring has eight hairs. 



Second stage of the female not observed. 



Larva yellowish-brown, Hattish, elliptical, active ; length 

 about g'oin. i\ntenn8e and feet normal. The margin bears a 

 row of strong spines as in the adult, but a little more slender, 

 and more acute at the tips. 



Adult male unknown. 



Hab. In Australia, on Eucalyptus sp. Mr. Froggatt sent 

 me specimens from Oatley, near Sydney. 



The arrangement and size of the marginal spines dis- 

 tinguish this species. 



