THE WAX SCALE OR WHITE SCALE. 



57 



covering: is a soft wax, very similar to the wliite wax of corainerce. The 

 color is white, remlered impure by siuTacc nccninnlations of dust aud 

 dirt. A f.iiiit tiii.iie of ])ink is soiiictiiiie.s j;iveii to the seuiitranspareut 

 wax by the red color of the insect benciith. 



When llic covering- of wax is removed the naked body of the iusect 

 is disclosed to view. This lias the 

 form of an almost filobnhir sack, 

 with thin and delicate walls, in- 

 closing- <lai k red liqniil contents, 

 or eggs of similar color. The np- 

 jK'r surface of the body bears six 

 prominent tubercles, three on 

 each side, and a short anal tube, 

 the end of which, as has been 

 seen, penetrates the; covering- of 

 wax. Beneath the flattened ven- 

 tral surface may be disctov ered the 

 disused, but not wholly discarded, 

 h^gs and antennae of the larva. 

 The under surface also usually 

 shows the marginal notches, more 

 plainly seen in Lecanium, and 

 -ohich indicates the three struct- 

 ural divisions of t he body. From 

 these notches radiate streaks of 

 chalky white exudation, which at 

 a hasty glance have the appear- 

 ance of legs, but i)robably serve 

 as a cement attaching the scale 

 more firmly to the bark. 



Larva. — The newly-hatched 

 louse has the usual oval, flat- 

 tened form. Color ])ale ruddy 

 brown, with the members yellowish ; autennse G jointed, tipped with 

 long hairs. The caudal bristles are very long. 



Eggs 0.25™™ long, elliptical, having the color of sherry wine. 



Li/ehifitory. — The eg^^fi, to the number of seventy-five or one hun- 

 dred, are dei)0sited under the covering of the luuther, and are sim[>ly 

 transferred from the inside to the outside of her body, which becomes 

 excavated below, and is more and more depleted as the i)rocess of lay- 

 ing goes on. At last, entirely collapsed, it forms a mere lining to the 

 walls of the waxen casket, beneath which the eggs are brought to ma- 

 turity and hatched. 



The young, escaping from beneath the scale, scatter in all directions 

 over the tree, and soon attach themselves, by their beaks, 1o the sur- 

 faces of the leaves. After they have begun to lecd aud to excrete wax, 



Fio. ^(^.— Cer pintail's flnridensu ComHtock. 20, 

 adult iiiid yuuii;; ('i'iiiii)>n nji ile>c, iiatmal «izo ; a, 

 joMiijx iciual , ciilar-cd ; b. adult I'cuiulc, oularged. 

 (Alter Coiiislock.) 



