NORTH AMERICAN HOMOPTERA. 



303 



place is found the egg is laid, and then driven into position by the 

 following method : The insect so places itself that its hind legs easily 

 touch the egg, then standing on its four front ones it brings the two 

 hind ones down upon the egg in rapid succession, striking with con- 

 siderable force. This serves the double purpose of pushing the egg 

 in place, and of drawing out a viscid secretion, with which it is cov- 

 ered, into a thread-like, silvery film, that so resembles the surround- 

 ing bark that it is difficult to detect it. I watched an oviparous louse 

 go through this process for about a minute and a half. 



Fisr. 3. — Phyllaphis of beech : a, oviparous female, magnified ; 6, head and an- 

 tenna of same, greatly magnified; c, egg on bark, magnified. 



Oviparous Female. — Body 2.4 nam. long by 1 mm. wide across abdomeu. An- 

 tennae 1.2 mm long. Body elongate, somewhat pyriform and flocculent. Gen- 

 eral color pale green; a large quadrangular spot on the dorsum of head and 

 prothorax, three spots on mesothoras, and six spots on the dorsum of each of 

 the seven anterior abdominal segments, and three spots on eighth abdominal 

 segment, olive-green. Legs with a slight dusky tinge. Antennae more mark- 

 edly dusky, except proximal portion. Eyes reddish ; antennae 6-jointed ; joint 

 iii longest; iv, v and vi subequal. Rostrum very short, scarcely reaching second 

 coxae. Body sparsely provided with spatulate or capitate hairs. Cauda short, 

 globular. 



Egg. — Small, only 0.6 mm. long. Greenish when first laid, but becoming dark 

 gray, very much the color of the beech bark ; covered with a filmy substance 

 that helps to conceal it. 



Deposited in crevices of bark. 



Scliizoiieiira teNsellata Fitch. 



This species, commonly known as the woolly alder aphis, has been 

 extremely abundant in New England during recent years. Its 

 Winter history seems never to have been precisely determined. My 

 observations upon it began in October, 1891, at Hanover. At that 

 time great number.* of young were being born from the colonies of 

 oviparous females present on the twigs. During the latter part of 

 the month and throughout the early part of November these young 

 did not remain on the twigs, but wandered down the trunk to the 

 soil surface. Here thev conoreojated in enormous colonies in the 



TRANS. AM. ENT. SOC. XX. 



NOVEMBEK, 1893. 



