THE RED SCALE OF ORANGE. 59 



regarded as a pest itself. Its fungus nature is not even 

 suspected, indeed, it is even looked upon as a coccus 

 insect, and designated the scarlet scale. The following is 

 its mode of occurrence and characteristic a23pearance : — 

 When orange trees are infested with the " Red Scale," and 

 especially when their branches also are black with the 

 fumagine consequent on the presence also of the Lecanium 

 olece^ there may be observed small irregular rose-red 

 bodies. These are especially noticeable on the blackened 

 boughs. But when in this position, but more especially 

 when situate on the leaves, it will be seen that these 

 are closely connected with the present scale insects. In 

 fact, they are small conical tufts, which emerge often to 

 the number of three or four from the margin of the 

 " scales," or when the scales themselves are concealed by 

 the growth of the fumagine, these tufts appear to arise 

 erect and stalked immediately from the boughs indepen- 

 dent of such origin. Microscopical examination shows 

 that the tufts are composed of minute nearly simple 

 threads matted together, and that these threads terminate 

 in narrow and sharp-pointed low crescent-shaped bodies, 

 which are the spores of the fungus. This fungus is well 

 known in Europe as the Coccus microcera, and has pre- 

 viously been noticed in this colony (Queensland) by Mr. 

 F. M. Bailey, on a species of Coccus which infests the 

 lemon. It is shortly described in the Synopsis of Queens- 

 land Flora of that author, and more fully by Mr. C. 

 Cooke, who illustrates the species by means of a figure 

 representative of its appearance when highly magnified. 



Mr. Worthington Smith also alludes to this fungus, in 

 his book on the Diseases of Fields Crop^ and Garden^ as 

 being . a parasite of Cocci. I am not aware of the 

 existence of this fungus in Victoria, but probably our 

 Vegetable Pathologist may know of it, and, if so, his aid 

 will be sought, supposing that he considers this fungus to 

 be any way valuable as an auxiliary in keeping down this 

 and possibly other scale insects also. Fungus and insect 

 enemies to these coccid pests are doubtless valuable, but 

 for our own part we must adhere to our former opinion 



