46 BRITISH APHIDES. 



in my fields at Haslemere, but until lately I always 

 regarded it as Ph. querent. I also some years ago 

 received specimens of this same insect from the late 

 Mr. F. Walker, who saw them surrounded by thousands 

 of eggs in concentric circles, on some oaks near Shank- 

 lin in the Isle of Wight. Like myself, he regarded this 

 insect as Ph. quercus of Fonsc, and as such it appears 

 in his ' Catalogue of Homoptera.' 



A few months ago, M. Lichtenstein was good enough 

 to inspect my drawings ; and he at once came to the 

 conclusion that they do not represent the French and 

 Italian Ph. quercus. The same gentleman kindly for- 

 warded to me living specimens of the last, and 1 quite 

 concur as to the identity of the British and Montpellier 

 insects. 



I believe the following account and diagnosis is the 

 most complete that has yet been published. 



Queen mother. 



Inch. Millimetre. 



Size of body 0'030 X 0-012 0*76 X 0*30 



Length of antennae 0*010 0'25 



Very small, flask-shaped, amber-yellow, occasionally 

 spotted with red. Body smooth and not tuberculate. 

 Head very broad ; eyes very small, black, and composed 

 of three or four facets. Thorax hardly separable from 

 the abdomen, which is globose, and terminated by apical 

 rings. The apex furnished with an obtuse ovipositor, 

 which is employed in ranging the eggs (which number 

 one hundred or more) in two or three concentric circles 

 on the oak leaves. 



Antennae rather setaceous and tri-articulate. Eos- 

 trum short, as also are the legs ; tarsi stout, each 

 garnished with double claws and two capitate bristles. 



The apterous larvae differ much both as to size 

 and outline. This is partly dependent on the amount 

 of eggs stored within them. The number of eggs 

 capable of deposition by these apterous larvae is very 



