C6 r August, 



tufts, from the old gnarled stems of last year, the young shoots already six or eight 

 inches high, and carrying half-a-dozen of the compound succulent leaves, or more. 



Peering among the tufts, on the 14th, I espied, on some of the leaves (usually 

 on the back of the lovrest leaflet) a minute orange-coloured speck, which, under a 

 pocket lens, appeared to be an ovate shield or scale, convex above, but adherent 

 below by its entire surface to the leaf, each furnished, at its extremities, with a 

 horizontal fringe of close-set parallel straight styles, like the teeth of a comb, of 

 glittering whiteness. These shields are perhaps "05 or "06 inch long, judged 

 roughly.* 



While I was examining these, wondering whether they might be puppe of the 

 desired Trioza or not, I became aware of a number of other minute entities, scattered 

 about the mid-ribs and the leaflets of the Crithmum ; so minute as to be only just 

 discernible, when seen edgewise against a dark background. These were oblong 

 egg-like bodies, of orange-yellow hue, elevated each on a slender white pedicel, about 

 thrice its own length : the pedicel standing up stifily and perpendicularly from the 

 leaf, and carrying at its summit the egg (?) afiixcd obliquely by its end ; reminding 

 me of the ova of the HemerohiadcB. 



The shields (pupse?) are by no means rare: and these pedunculate eggs are 

 even more numerous ; but always single and isolated, so far as I observed. 



But scarcely had these been noticed, before I caught sight of a little Aphis-like 

 fly, with ample glassy wings, deflexed, and tectiform, yellow fore-parts, and bright 

 green abdomen, crawling on the mid-rib of a leaf. I endeavoured to secure it in a 

 pill-box ; but it was wide awake, and the handling of the plant, cautious as I was, 

 alarmed it, and caused it to vanish. Another I succeeded in boxing, with a bit of 

 leaf; but trusting to its quietude, I left the box uncovered, that I might more easily 

 secure the next I saw. The stillness proved treacherous, however ; for in a few 

 moments, looking, I found it had flown. But I did succeed in bringing home two 

 examples ; which, with examples of the other forms, I despatched, by post, to Mr. 

 Scott, the same evening." — April Ibth, 1882. 



Lee : \st Mai), 1882. 



P.S. — Si}ice \vz"itiiig the foregoing, on the 24th xilt., I have ob- 

 served the exit of a few of the infant larvre from the egg in its upright 

 position on the peduncle, and I am, therefore, not certain that the 

 mode stated above is a true one, becauBe by my examining the con- 

 tents of the bottle, some of the leaves may have fallen on others bearing 

 the eggs, and thus have produced the result I there witnessed. It will, 

 therefore, be necessary for further observation to determine which of 

 the two modes is the natural one. — J. S. 



* As I sent away to Mr. Scott, by post, immediately on my arrival at home, all that I had 

 gathered that day, these observations were, of necessity, verj' ha.stily made, and contained many 

 mistakes. I afterwards found that the " ovate shields " were not adherent, as I had supposed, 

 but were perfectly mobile, wandering larvje, with .six short log.s, crouching close and flat to the 

 leaf, but ready to crawl rapidly away, when disturbed. I found them, too, of various degrees 

 of development ; .some not appreciably larger that the pedicelled ova, whence they had been 

 doubtless just hatched, and some fully ■\ inch long. From the fact that some of the largest had 

 the abdomen of a rich green hue, and a pair of over-lapping j)la:cs developed hindward from each 

 sidn of the thorax, which I conclude to be the wing-sheaths. I presume these to be pupa-; 

 but thev were active and locomotive as the others. — P. H. G. 



