WHITE WOOLLY CUERANT SCALE. 307 



here, I append in a note* a translation of Dr. Signoret's 

 scientific description. My own more general description, 

 from specimens examined on June 2nd, is as follows : — 



The Scale itself (see fig. la, p. 306) dark grey-brown, rather 

 longer than broad (the specimens measured from one-eighth to 

 three-sixteenths of an inch in length, and over one-eighth of 

 an inch in width), of a squarish oval, with the hinder 

 extremity notched or heart-shaped, and in their then dried 

 state the fore part turned up so much as to be reflexed ; the 

 keel along the back was still partly observable, with slight 

 ridges running down to the edge of the Scale. 



The white cottony or woolly matter (figured at 1, p. 306) 

 which forms the nest of the eggs, and of the young Scales in 

 their earliest condition, formed, where it was undisturbed, a 

 compact tuft, on the front part of which the Scale itself was 

 raised, sometimes almost vertically. Whilst fresh, the Scale and 

 its white wool formed together a somewhat oval mass, which 

 presently became drawn out in all directions, so that in the 

 distance the infested branches looked as if they were scattered 

 over with whitewash (see accompanying figure, p. 308, from a 

 photo kindly taken for me by Mr. T. P. Newman, of 54, Hatton 

 Garden) . 



The almost overwhelming nature of the infestation, and the 

 serious amount of injury caused by it is better conveyed by 

 this figure, taken from one of the various samples of attack 

 sent me, than from mere description. 



The egg-like bodies in the wool, when examined at this 

 date (July 2), proved to have hatched, and these orange- 

 coloured larvae were dispersing themselves in vast numbers 

 in the box in which the spray of infested Currant sent me by 

 Mr. Mosley was secured. 



* " In its most advanced stage, this species, which is nearly allied to P. vitis 

 and P. oxyacantha is 4 mm. long by 3 broad, not including in this the white 

 cottony matter, which may vary in extent according to the state of growth of 

 the embryos which it contains. The Scale is of a reddish brown, with a line 

 more or less raised on the back, which gives it almost the appearance of being 

 keeled ; on each side of the body it is wrinkled, and faintly pitted : in a dry 

 state the folds are hardly observable — it might be said to be smooth. It is 

 nearly allied to vitis, but smaller, thicker, rounder, more heart-shaped, and of a 

 deeper brown ; ribesice is distinguished from it, especially in the embryo state, 

 which is longer, with the members thicker, the tarsi and tibiit; much shorter, 

 and half less in size in P. ribe.iia: than in P. vitis, and the large hair which is 

 observed on the tibia in almost all the species is very much longer in this one ; 

 the antenna;, almost of similar form, have fewer long hairs; thus in the 

 embryo of Pulvinaria vitis six are observable, whilst in ribesice there are only 

 five, of which that of the third article and that of the disc of the last article 

 are much the longest, the great hair at the extremity of this article being a 

 good third shorter than these. With regard to the cottony matter which is 

 observable, it is very abundant in this species, and entirely of the same nature 

 as that of P. vitis.'" — 'Essai sur les Cochinelles,' 15, Pulvinaria r ibcsia noh'is, 

 par M. le Docteur Signoret, p. 219 (vol i. of Collected Essays). 



