34 mUTISTT APITTDES. 



Body broad and scutiform. Head, thorax, and 

 abdomen obscurely divided. Colour blackish-brown. 

 Six rows of tubercles disposed down the back and 

 carina. Dusted with mealy or flocculent matter, 

 which is most abundant towards the tail. Antenna 

 very small and partly hidden, composed of three to 

 four joints. Legs very short, hardly protruded 

 beyond the circumference of the body. Tarsi with 

 two claws. Tail furnished with two hooks. Rostrum 

 rises between the first pair of coxae. 



Habit very inactive ; the insect probably never 

 leaving the spot at which oviposition has commenced. 



This insect is plentiful on the larch (Pin us la fix), and 

 sometimes occurs in sufficient numbers to materially 

 injure the trees. In the year 1871, from May to 

 October, the woods in some parts of Surrey were so 

 covered with the myriads of white tufts spun from 

 these insects that they appeared as if starch had been 

 dusted over them. Many boughs died back, and in the 

 autumn the trees looked as if they had been scorched. 



For a long time I was unable to satisfy myself as to 

 wh ether it were a fact that the queen Aphis hyber- 

 natcd, or was born from eggs surviving the winter. 

 In 1872 I watched continually for the first appear- 

 ance of this Chermes. It was not till the 27th of 

 February, when a slight increase commenced in the 

 tree buds, that I was able to detect, under a high 

 magnifying power, several batches of from eight to ten 

 individuals secreted under the leaf-scales, which were 

 commencing to rise. These insects were so shrivelled 

 and dry that no one would suppose them capable of 

 waking into activity. They were very small, and 

 entirely of the colour of the larch bark. As the sun 

 warmed the air and the sap rose, the Aphides began to 

 swell from inhibition of moisture, and then threw off 

 their skins by a peculiar vermicular motion, the rejected 

 Blough" passing slowly towards the tail. 



For several days the fresh moulted Chermes retains 

 this skin, which is attached by three long, spirally- 





