292 



forms present, so far as seen, were the oviparous females and eggs. 

 Wherever colonies had developed upon the stems, there was a whiten- 

 ing of the bark, due to the flocculeuce of the insects. One or two re- 

 mains of colonies, with the oviparous females still present in some 

 numbers, were found on the lower portion of certain stems where the 

 flood debris of the creek was piled up for a foot or two. In these places 

 the fliocculent matter had developed enormously, so that it looked like 

 a coating of cotton. 



This species appears to be more closely related to M. salicis L. than 

 either of the others. Its eggs are covered with a gray coating like 

 those of M. saliciSy and the cornicles are of the same bright orange-red 

 color. I 



DESCRIPTION. 



Oviparous Female (Fig. 26, a, h). — Body 3.5 milimetres long by 2 wide across 

 middle of abdomen ; antennse 2.3 milimetres long. 



General color dull yellowish-brown, with a longitudinal row of indistinct black 

 spots on each side of dorso-meson ; cornicles bright orange red ; antennae dusky, ex- 

 cept basal portion of third joint, which is yellowish-brown; legs dusky, with basal 

 portion of femora, and sometimes more or less of tibia, dark yellowish-brown. Body, 

 legs, and antenntB pilose. Joint III of anteunoo long, but shorter than IV plus v, 

 which are subequal ; vi and vii each rather long, the latter the longer of the two. 

 Cornicles long for this genus ; swollen in the middle. 



The Egg (Fig. 26, c). — Length, 1.2 millimetres ; oblong oval, coated with a thin 

 gray substance like that on the egg of M. salicis ; deposited on the bark, about the 

 buds and axils, especially where the surface ia roughened. 



F. Detmers. del. 



Fig. 26. — Melanoxanthus flocculosus : a, oviparous female — enlarged; 6, head and antennae of same — 

 greatly enlarged; c, eggs on willow bark — one-half larger than natural sizes (original.) 



