70 Transactions. — Zoology. 



absence of a rostrum) is the presence of the dermal oval cells, 

 with the central small cone : these cannot be well observed 

 until after treatment with potash. 



In a mounted specimen of the cephalic region of an adult 

 female I observe that the buccal orifice, which (as in all this 

 genus) may be detected between the first pair of feet, is the 

 termination of a rather long and wide tubular organ, the 

 other end of which appears to end in two muscular fibres- 

 situated in the interior of the body, and to be there connected 

 with the intestinal canal, which, however, has not resisted the 

 action of the potash used in the preparation, and has there- 

 fore disappeared. This buccal orifice is not to be detected, 

 even with very careful scrutiny, until the insect is rendered 

 transparent, a thing which is not easily done, as it requires 

 prolonged boiling in potash before the internal organs can be 

 washed out. 



Sub-family BKACHYSCELIN^. 



Genus Tachabdia, Signoret. Carteria, Signoret. 



Dr. Signoret, in 1876, altered his original generic name of 

 Carteria to Tachardia, on account of the former name having 

 been appropriated earlier to some genus of Mollusca or of 

 Crustacea. I think, myself, that the change was a needless 

 refining, and that less confusion would have resulted if the 

 original name had been retained, for nobody could mistake a 

 Mollusc for a Coccid ; and if it had been made by anybody 

 but the first author I should probably have disregarded it. 

 However, we must accept the alteration, under the circum- 

 stances. 



Tachardia decorella, Maskell. N.Z. Trans., vol. xxv., 1892, 

 p. 247. 



Specimens of this insect have been sent to me during the 

 year by Mr. Koebele and Mr. Froggatt from various places in 

 New South Wales, and by Mr. French from Mildura, in 

 Victoria. They occur on various native plants, and the 

 species is evidently not uncommon. Mr French tells me 

 that the people at Mildura call it the "native cochineal." 

 The name is scarcely appropriate. " Native shellac " would 

 be better, as the insect (and also T. melalcucce, Mask., 1891, 

 and T. acacia, Mask., 1891) is closely allied to the shellac 

 insect of Africa and Asia. 



Genus Feenchia, Maskell. 

 Frenchia semiocculta, sp. nov. Plate VII., fig. 9-19. 



.Adult female not forming a prominent gall, but occupying 

 a cavity under the bark of a twig over which usually a slight 



