270 [October, 



With specimens of a woolly apliid, most of wbicli were clustered upon 

 the stem and leaves of the plant. 



These insects were forwarded to me by post, together with a por- 

 tion of the roots and some earth accompanying them. I found the 

 insects chiefly located under the crown of the root amidst a quantity 

 of cotton-like flocks interspersed with the earth. Unfortunately, two 

 fat larvae of a Dipterous fly {Syrphus), which seems, fortunately for 

 the existence of vegetation, to be almost constantly found in company 

 with Aphid swarms, had sucked dry most of the specimens. 



An examination under the lens of those which remained proved 

 to be interesting, by showing these insects to be the viviparous forms 

 of Pemphigus bursarius. Mr. Mosley again visited the spot a fort- 

 night later, but he was astonished to find that the insects had almost 

 entirely disappeared from the leaves, and it is highly probable that 

 the insects had passed into the earth. No poplar trees were in the 

 immediate vicinit}^ of the spot, but a row of the Lombardy poplar 

 flourished within a hundred and fifty yards of the place. The foot- 

 stalks of the leaves of these trees were swelled up into numerous 

 purse-like pseudo-galls, which is the commonest form of these excres- 

 cences resulting from the attacks of the last-mentioned Pempliigus. 



Mr. Mosley informs me that he has seen the buttercup similarly 

 attacked in another place about five miles distant from the before- 

 mentioned wood near Huddersfield. 



A nursery ground is situated about two miles away from this last 

 locality, in which there are poplar trees whose leaves are often de- 

 formed by the purses of Pempliigince. This intervening distance may 

 seem somewhat great, but the large wings of the insects are well fitted 

 for transporting them upon every gentle wind which may happen to 

 blow ; and, indeed, it is well known that swarms of Aphides travel to 

 great distances, like clouds, under certain conditions of the atmosphere. 



As a conclusion to this notice, attention may be directed to the 

 comparatively little known section of the Aphidince, named by Pas- 

 serini Bhizohiincd ; almost all the examples of which hitherto have 

 been described as apterous. 



The forms assumed by Aphides from moult to moult are diverse, 

 one from the other; and we may surmise that future observation will 

 reduce the number of the insects now regarded in this section as 

 species, by showing some of them to be only the subterranean con- 

 ditions of insects, the aerial habits and forms of which are better 

 known to us. 



