Mr. H. J. Carter on the Natural History of the Lac-Insect. 363 



XLII. — Further Observations on the Natural History of the 

 Lac-Insect (Coccus lacca). By H. J. Carter, Esq., F.R.S. 



After my observations on the evolution of the larvfe of the Lac- 

 insect, which took place at Bombay about the 1st of July, and 

 their succeeding changes, were made*, I continued my visits to the 

 colony on the Custard-apple tree in order to ascertain the truth 

 of the statement that a second evolution took place during the 

 year, and was fortunate enough to witness this also, as well as 

 the succeeding changes in the larvae, which, being somewhat 

 different from those that took place after the first evolution, I will 

 now relate, with the modification in the practical deductions that 

 the second evolution necessitates. 



On the 13th of December I visited the Custai'd-apple tree, 

 and found the larvae issuing from the lac formed by the evolur 

 tion of July, besides many which had become fixed to the bark j 

 so that we must date the commencement of this evolution a few 

 days earlier, say the 7th of December. After this, the same 

 changes took place in the incrustations that were observed in the 

 evolution of July. On the 27th of February the males were 

 coming out of their cocoons or incrustations ; and on the 4th of 

 March I found some of them creeping over the cocoons of the 

 females, with others dead and entangled as before in the cotton- 

 like substance, which during the last few days had become so 

 exuberant from the females as to whiten all those parts of the 

 branches covered with the new lac. 



But the remarkable point here was, that, this time, all but a 

 few of the males were provided respectively with two mem- 

 branous, whitish, transparent, diploneurose wings, which, being 

 a little longer than the whole length of the body, extended, 

 when closed, considerably beyond the last segment of the body, 

 and made the insect look very much like the male of Coccus 

 Cacti, or the Cochineal-insect. 



Thus, on comparing the dates of evolution and metamor- 

 phosis, we find that the first evolution of the larvse takes place 

 about the 1st of July, and the second about the 7th of Decem- 

 ber. Hence the summer-brood requires about five months and 

 seven days, and the winter-brood six months and twenty-one 

 days, to prepare their young respectively for independent ex* 

 istence. But the metamorphosis of the larvse into the males and 

 the impregnation of the females take place about the same 

 time after each evolution. Thus, in the evolution of July it 

 took place about the 20th of September, and in that of Decern? 

 ber about the 1 st of March, giving eighty-two days to the former 



* ' Annals,' ser. 3. vol. vii. p. 1. 



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