A Plum Scale. 



689 



F1G.2— m, viale scales, 

 enlarged ; n, tnale 

 scale and female 

 scale, naliiral size. 



m in figure 2 are shown several of these male scales considerably 

 enlarged ; from the lower end of the two upper scales the tips of 

 the wings of the male insect protrude, and in one instance the 

 two long white filaments which project from the end of the insect's 

 abdomen can be distinctly seen extending considerably beyond the 

 wings. At n in the figure, a male scale and 

 a female scale are shown natural size, theone 

 on the right being the male. The male scale 

 is thus much smaller, flatter, more elongate, 

 and is of a whitish color. They often occur in 

 considerable numbers among the large brown 

 female scales in May and June. They are rare- 

 ly seen after June, as they do not adhere 

 strongl}' and thus soon ' ' weather off. ' ' The 

 males doubtless emerge in May, but proba- 

 bly live only long enough to mate with the 

 then mature females. In their early stages, 

 the male scales are scarcely distinguishable 

 from the young females. 



The eggs. — This year, by the i8th of May many of the female 

 scales had become full grown. And by tipping them over at this 

 time, it was found that egg-laying had just begun. The female 

 lays her eggs under her own body. During the process, her outer 

 skin hardens and her body gradually shrivels thus making room 



underneath for the eggs. Egg- 

 laying continues for a week or ten 

 days, and, what was at the begin- 

 ning a large fleshy soft-bodied 

 female, becomes, when the task is 

 finished, onl}^ a thin hard shell 

 closely adhering to the branch and 

 containing a mass of embryonic 

 life in the form of minute white 

 eggs. If one of these shells- be 



Fig. 3 — c,eggs as lliev roll 07it from benealli a ,. , . . _ . .,i , 



mother-shell in June ; enlarged. disturbed lU JUUC, it Will be 



found packed nearly full of eggs, 

 which roll out when the shell is tipped as represented in figure 3. 

 In this figure the scale is shown considerably enlarged, but at n 

 in figure 2, is another view of the same scale natural size. 



