Collectio7i and Preparation. 



CHAPTER II. 

 Collection and Preparation. 



For those who may feel sufficient interest in the subject to 

 commence a study of this group of insects, a few words as to 

 the collection and preparation of specimens may not be out of 

 place. With respect to the latter, what is a convenient method 

 for one person may, of course, not prove so for another. I can 

 only explain the plan that, after considerable experiment, I have 

 found most convenient to myself. 



For the collector the field is enormous. I think I may safely 

 say that there is no country in the world where Coccidae are not 

 to be found, and scarcely a single species of plant that is not 

 liable to their attacks. 



In Ceylon and other tropical countries they are to be found at 

 all seasons of the year. In northern countries they are naturally 

 more abundant in the summer months, though even in winter a 

 few species may be collected from the bare branches of trees and 

 shrubs ; in fact, some of them are more easily discovered at that 

 time than when the plants are in full leaf. The male insects 

 should be looked for in the early spring in such parts of the world 

 as enjoy the normal change of seasons. In Ceylon I have usually 

 found both sexes to occur independently of the time of year. 



Any part of the plant — root, stem, branches, leaves, flower- 

 buds, or fruit — may harbour members of the family. Most species 

 will be found closely applied to the surface of the leaves or 

 branches ; but others conceal themselves, some in galls or irregular 

 swellings, some imbedded in the soft tissues of the bark, others 

 secreted in natural glandular pockets on the leaves, or enfolded 

 within the sheathing bracts. 



There are various signs that reveal to the practised eye the 

 presence of Coccidae. Indefinite yellowish or otherwise discoloured 

 patches on the upper surface of a leaf will often indicate the 

 position of some of these insects located beneath it. When the 



