550 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. Xtl- 



and May, 1898. On both these occasions the male insects occurred in 

 enormous numbers, hovering in the air like gnats, the silky tufts on their 

 taUs glistening in the sunlight. In May of the present year (1898) myriads 

 of these little Hies might be seen floating in the air in certain parts of " Lady 

 Hortan's Walk " and other roads about Kandy. 



It is the female that is responsible for the chief damage, as she continues 

 to pump up sap from the plant during the whole period of her existence. 

 Unlike most scale-bugs, the Orthesia is quite an active insect and able to 

 change its position at will. It prefers the young shoots to the older stems, 

 and moves upward with the growth of the plant. 



Food Plants. 



Although the Orthezia is popularly known in Ceylon as the '' Lantana Bug," 

 this is by no means the only plant which it affects. It is more particularly 

 a garden pest, and it was upon the ornamental shrubs and plants in the 

 Peradeniya Gardens that it first attracted attention. Its adoption of the 

 Lantana plant is quite an acquired habit. 



It was only noticed that Orthezia had a special taste for certain natural 

 orders of plants, Acanfhacece, Ruhiacece, and Vei-hanacece being particularly 

 appreciated by the insect. Since its residence with us it has very largely 

 increased its list of food plants. It would be difficult to give a full catalogue 

 but the following plants have been noted : — 



Acanthacm ;— Crossandra, Ju-ticia, Thunbergia, Meyenia, Strobilanthes. 



^Mi/acecj;— Cinchona, " Coffee" (Arabian and Libarian), Gardenia, Hamelia, 

 Ixora, and many common weeds. 



Verbanacece : — Verbena citriodora ( " Scented Verbena " ), Lantana, 

 Stachytarpheta, Duranta. 



Composites ;— Tithonia (' Wild Sunflower "), Chrysanthemum, Achillea, 

 Vernonia, Ageratum (" Goatweed "), and many common weeds, 



SolanacecB : — Habrothamnus, Capsicum, " Tomato." 



LahlatoR : — Coleus, Salvia. 



Rutacece : — " Orange " and various kinds of Citrus. 



Leguminosce . — Clitoria. 



CaprifoUaceae. : — Lonicera (" Honeysuckle "). 



Bignoniacecp. : — Tecoma. 



Rosacecp : —" Strawberry." 



Amaronthacece : — Iresnie. 



Temstrot)nacece : — " Tea." 



Convolvulaceae : — Ipomea. 



LythracecR : — Cuphea. 



The above names are chiefly those of ornamental shrubs, garden plants, 

 and common weeds. We have, so far, no very serious reports of injury to 

 any of our more important economic plants. It will be noticed that both the 

 tea and the coffee plant figure on the list. Of the latter I have seen abau- 



