201 



bugs, such as Dijsdcrcns (the cotton-stainer) and BUsi^us (the 

 cliinch-bug). Ni^arly five hundred sp'^cios are known, living on 

 a great variety of plants. Some infest the leaves, some the 

 twigs, others the bark, while certain kinds are found under- 

 ground on roots. Some are naked, otiiers clothed with a mealy 

 secretion, others covered Avith wax, while very many construct 

 a well-defined scale ; it is to the latter that the name scale- 

 insect is more properly applied The females have a beak, 

 whereby they extract nutriment from plants ; when adult they 

 usually become entirely stationary and vxnable to move, and 

 very many species lose their legs and antenna;. At no time do 

 any of the females possess wiigs. 



The males, on the contrary, are winged in nearly all the 

 species, and are well able to move about. They have legs and 

 antenna;, but no beak ; their wings are two in number, after 

 the manner of flics, thus totally differing from all other Hemip- 

 tera, which have four wings. 



There is an allied family, the Aleurodidcc, which might be 

 confounded with the coccida?, and indeed was in former times. 

 AVhen immature they resemble scale-insects, and the adults 

 look not unlike the males of coccida;. But an examination at 

 once reveals differences ; both sexes are winged, and there are four 

 Avings instead of two. In Kingston, species of Aleurodes are 

 common on pepper (Capsicum) and lignum-vita;. 



Another insect resembling a coccid is the Cerataphis 

 latanicc, which, as the generic name indicates, is really one of 

 the plant-lice (Aphides). Mr. Campbell sent me specimens 

 from Castleton Gardens, found on a palm ; and since then I 

 found it quite commonly on a palm in the yard of tlie Museum, 

 in Kingston, It looks something like an Ajjliis, but is sur- 

 rounded by a beautiful white waxy fringe. 



Destructiveness of the Coccid.k. 



Professor Comstock, in his excellent report on Scale- 

 Insects published in the Rej^ort of the U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture for 1880, writes — 



'•' There is no group of insects which is of greater interest 

 to horticulturists to-day than that family which includes the 

 creatures popularly known as ' scale-insects' and ' mealy buiis.' 

 There is hardly any shrub or tree but that is subject to their 

 attack, and in certain localities extensive orchards have b^^en 

 ruined by them. The minute size of the creatures, the difficulty 

 of destroying them, and their wonderful reproductive power.s, 

 all combine to make them the most formidable of the pests of 

 our orchards and ornamental grounds. It is only necessary to 

 cite the iiiealy-bugs of green-houses, the oyster-shell bark-louse 



