Eighth Report of the State Entomologist. 21 5 



variety of plants and trees, viz., magnolia, acacia, ivy, maple, plum, 

 clierr}^ currant, orange, lemon, etc. The true insect, when mature, is 

 found beneath the scale — the white portion of the scale being a protective 

 secretion thrown out by the larva, having upon its center one or two 

 orange-colored larval skins cast off at its moltings. [See, also, Fifth 

 Re2yort on the Insects of New Yorl\ pp. 278, 279.] 



The camellia leaf is infested with a different species of scale. It is 

 brown, elongate, bearing the cast skins upon its pointed and narrow 

 end, quite broad at the other extremity (which in one example is white), 

 and resembles in shape the well-known oyster-shell scale of the apple 

 tree, except that it is not curved. It apparently belongs to the genus 

 Parlatoria. 



An assured remedy for these insects is spraying them with the kero- 

 sene emulsion or whale-oil soap solution. The latter might not be 

 effectual except when applied to the young soon after they have 

 hatched from the Qgg, and before they are protected beneath their 

 scale. When infesting house-plants, as oleander and camellia, the 

 insects may be destroyed by passing over the stalk and branches, and 

 the leaves on their underside, with a sponge or piece of flannel dipped 

 in a little sweet oil or kerosene. The oil will penetrate the scale and 

 kill the insects beneath. Upon some old oleanders which had become 

 badly infested through neglect, kerosene was used so freely that mis- 

 givings were entertained of the result, but the effect was only 

 beneficial. 



A Grapevine Scale Insect, Lecanium sp.? 



Complaint was made that a grapevine which trails against a shed in 

 Springfield, Mass., was covered with a multitude of scale-insects, similar 

 to the specimens sent. The vine had not been so infested before, and 

 another vine near by was not infested. 



The piece of vine is almost entirely coA^ered with the large scales of 

 this insect — in some cases even overlapping one another. They are of a 

 dark mahogany color. A few are of a pale brown color, with two broad 

 subdorsal blackish stripes and about eight narrower transverse bands* 

 They are smooth and without a carina, broadly oval, their dorsal eleva- 

 tion about one-half of their diameter, and the largest measure one- 

 sixth of an inch in length. On raising the scales from the bark they 

 Avere found to be packed with small transparent white eggs, elliptical in 

 form, with a length of about double their breadth. These scales are 



