810 



A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 



often being slightly whitened, as in fig. 182, e, which is unusually 

 broad and white posteriorly. 



In a letter by Mr. J. B. Heyl, published in Insect Life, vol. iv, p. 

 267, 1892, he states that the Scale-insects of the orange were intro- 

 duced by a cargo of infected oranges from a ship in distress, that 

 put into Bermuda in 1858 or 1859. The oranges having been sold 

 at auction were disseminated over the islands. The orange trees, 

 which before that time were " clear of insect pests," became quickly 

 infested. He describes this particular scale as spreading very rapidly 



186 183 



Figure 184. — a, Broad-scale (Lecanium hesperidum) ; b, Purple-scale (Mytilaspis 

 citricola); c, Long-scale (M. Gloveri); d, Eed-scale (Aspidiotus aurantii)', 

 d', male, d", female; e, White-scale (^4. Nerii). Figure 185. — Mealy-bug, 

 after Harris. Figure 183. — Fluted Scale or Cottony Cushion-scale (Icerya 

 Purchasi). Figure 186. — Mealy-bug (Pulvinaria innumerabilis), which 

 infests grape-vines, etc. All slightly reduced; from Webster's International 

 Dictionary; mostly after Comstock and Saunders. 



and causing the trees to look as if whitewashed, and states that most 

 of them soon died. Mr. C. V. Riley identified this scale as Chio/i- 

 aspis citri, which is still common and destructive here, but probably 

 less so now than the Purple Scale and Icerya. However, it is a 

 matter of history that long before the date given by Mr. Heyl the 

 orange trees had suffered severely from disease, probably due to 

 Scale-insects, and that their cultivation had consequently greatly 

 diminished before 1836.* (See p. 6:55.) Probably the Purple Scale 

 was introduced at an earlier date than the others and had been 

 equally destructive. The Icerya is a much later introduction, prob- 

 ably subsequent to 1876. 



* Bishop Berkeley, 1724, and W. F. Williams, 1848, mentioned the scarcity of 

 oranges at these dates. According to the former they had then been scarce for 

 40 years, or since 1684, due, as he supposed, to cutting down the cedar forests ; 

 but Scale-insects may have been the main cause. See Errata. 



