340 



FOREST ENTOMOLOGY. 



and antennae paler and dusky. Eyes and ocelli black, shining, and 

 of the latter there are four dorsal and six ventral. Caudal filaments 

 comparatively short. Halteres pale red, turned back over the thorax 

 when the insect is at rest. Wings rather short, and suddenly widened 

 at base. Stylus nearly as long as the abdomen." 



I have found this insect sparsely distributed on all the food-plants 

 enumerated. As a veritable pest, however, I have found portions of 

 hedges near the city of Chester, and also in other parts of mid- 

 Cheshire, killed outright by this insect. It is also somewhat remark- 

 able that I always found this scale most injurious where the hedges 

 were either cut twice in one season or on cottage-garden hedges cut 

 only once in a season, and more especially where the cutting was done 

 very early in the autumn. 



Genus. Physokermes. 



The larvae and early stages are quite identical with Leraninni. 

 After this, however, the structural details differ from Lecanium, in- 

 asmucli as in Phi/mJrermef' the lindy at egg-deposition is composed 



of two chambers, both of 

 which are filled with eggs; 

 and also in the adult scale 

 no traces of antennte or 

 leo's are found. 



Physokermes abietis 

 (Geoffrey). 



This insect is always 

 found on spruce (Picea 

 excelsa). The scale is 

 very much like a Lecan- 

 ium in general appear- 

 ance. It may be looked 

 more especially in the 



. 9,]Z.— Scales o/ Physokermes aleetis csjhiutd 

 "forkings" of the young tii'irja ofcominov sprua 



and 



for on the younger twigs of spruce, 

 ^'forkings" of the young twigs (fig. 313). The colour, generally 

 a dull chestnut, harmonises well with the food-plant, which may be a 

 means of protection against natural enemies. Newstead says he has 

 hatched from this scale a chalcid parasite, Encyrtus scaurus, "Walk. ; a 



