OR COCHINEALS. 419 



minute white threads projects ; on raising one of these 

 the male will be found beneath it. He emerges 

 backwards, pulling his wings up over his head, and 

 immediately on quitting his case, flies in search of the 

 female, and after impregnating her, his existence 

 soon comes to an end. The female, however, con- 

 tinues to increase in size until her eggs are mature, 

 when she lays them beneath her own body, in the 

 space between it and the bark of the tree, in the 

 midst of a white cottony matter. When the eggs are 

 all laid, the body of the female becomes empty and 

 dries up, forming a sort of convex shell over the mass 

 of eggs, which however soon hatch, and the young 

 larvse, which are minute oval creatures, may be found 

 creeping about the shrubs throughout the autumn. 

 They live through the winter without change, but in 

 the spring the males attach themselves to the bark of 

 the tree and become converted into a sort of pupa 

 concealed beneath the little oval skin of the larva. 

 The females at this time also attach themselves to 

 the twigs, and there rapidly increase in size until, 

 after copulation with the male, they lay their eggs in 

 the manner above described. As far as we know, the 

 habits of most of the species are very similar to this, 

 and notwithstanding their minute size, many of them 

 are exceedingly injurious in gardens and plantations, 

 and especially in hot-houses, where the high tem- 

 perature facilitates their increase. Several species, 

 however, as if to make up for the injuries inflicted by 

 their brethren, are amongst the most valuable of the 

 insect tribes. Foremost amongst these is the Co- 

 chineal insect [Coccus Cacti), of which immense quan- 

 tities are imported into this country for the purpose 

 of dyeing red ; and next to this is the Lac insect (C. 



