78 [Septembei-, 



The form aud cLaracter of these four species are well displayed 

 ill Signoret's pi. xi, figs. 1 — 4. 



Lecanium hibernaculorum, Boisd. 



This is described as rather more than 5 mm. in length, 85 mm. wide, and 3 mm. 

 high, of a reddish-brown colour, globulous, forming more than a hemisphere ; the 

 surface with a somewhat regular punctuation of oval pits with a clearer central 

 point, without perceptibly widened margin. 



Ill February Mr. H. W. Bates sent to me from a fern in his 

 greenhouse several scales of a Lecanium full of pink eggs. These 

 scales agree in some respects with the foregoing description, but differ 

 in the size being at most only 5x3x2 mm., in the form being broad, 

 obtuse-oval, very convex, but not globulous, and in having 4 — 6 very 

 minute, scarcely perceptible, distant tubercles in a line along the 

 middle of the back. Dr. Signoret, however, who has seen some of the 

 scales, is of opinion they must be referred to this species. 



In October last Mr. T. E. Billups sent me from a house-fern some 

 scales in every respect like the foregoing, except that they are about 

 half the size, and of the colour of cafi au lait. I judged they were 

 the young form of L. hihernacuJorwm, and Dr Signoret confirms this 

 opinion. In May I received from Mr. P. Cameron of Sale, on various 

 hothouse plants, fully grown and coloured scales, from which ihe 

 minute tubercles above mentioned had quite disappeared. There 

 seems to be just a possibility that the young form with the row of 

 tubercles may indicate L. maculatum, Sign. 



Lecanitjm nEMTSPH^EicuM, Targ.-Tozz. 



The ? scale is described as circular, hemispheric, the margin broadly flattened, 

 red-brown and more or less shaded in the adult, 85 mm. long, 3 mm. broad, and 2 

 mm. high. 



From a hothouse at Canterbury Mr. G. S. Saunders, in February, 

 obtained on an orchid and a fern some scales which fairly agree with 

 the above description, except that they are yellow-brown, the margin 

 comparatively slight, and the size less, 3 mm. by 2^ mm. by 1^ mm. 



I submitted one of the scales to Dr. Signoret, and he coincides 

 with me in thinking it is L. hemisphwricum in the young state. 



In April Mr. P. Cameron sent, on several hothouse plants from 

 Sale, larger, darker, and more developed scales of this species, and the 

 number of similar forms simultaneously cause me to doubt if there is 

 any reason for Signoret's query if L. hihernaculoruvi is only a large 

 and redder form of L. hemisphcBricum ; they seem to me to have very 

 distinct characters, which, although they vary somewhat according to 

 age, yet never have an identical aspect. 



