PS Y 



487 



PT E 



of flowers. They are called either ! birth, they cast their first skin, after 

 nymphs or larvie in this state (accord- j which they appeared nearly of their 

 ing to the extent of their develop- former shape and colour. The second 

 ment); and, like their parents, have ' changing of the skin can sometimes be 

 their mouth in the breast. After a few 1 scarcely seen at all, because the larva 

 days, they change their skins, and be- I not only puts out a thicker string with 

 come darker, and somewhat reddish on i the tubercle, but also an immense num- 

 the breast, and rather resemble bugs I ber of very fine entangled threads or 

 than plant-lice, having the extreme j small hairs, which it turns upwards 

 point of the Ixody somewhat broad, and | over its back, and with them entirely 

 beset with bristles. After changing j covers its body and head. In sunshine, 

 their skins, they leave the leaves, bios- these strings look transparent, as if 

 soms, and fruit, and proceed more ; they were made of glass, and become 

 downwards to the bearing wood and of a greenish variable colour. Under 



the shoots of last year, on which they 

 fix themselves securely, one after the 

 other, in rows, and remain there till 

 their last transformation. 



" When the nymphs have moulted 

 for the last time, and have attained their 

 full size, the body swells out by de 



this screen the chermes are secured 

 from every attack of other insects ; for 

 no ants, mites, or bugs can disturb 

 them in their fortification, or consume 

 them as their prey. After changing 

 the second skin, the young assumed a 

 different colour and form ; tliev now 



grees, and becomes cylindrical. They became light green all over, the abdo- 

 then leate their associates, and before I men was much broader than the thorax, 

 they lay aside their nymph-like cover- 1 and on the side of the latter, rudiments 

 ing, they search out a leaf to which j of the wings were distinctly seen. The 



they fasten themselves firmly, and ap 

 pear as if thev were lifeless. After a 

 few minutes the skin splits on the upper 

 part of the covering, and a winged in- 

 sect proceeds from it. It is of a plea- 

 sant green colour, with red eyes, and 

 snow-while wings. It very much re- 

 sembles its parents in spring, even in 

 the colour. After a few days, this 

 chermes has assumed the colours of 

 the perfect insect ; the head, collar, and 

 thorax, are of an orange colour, and 

 only the abdomen retains its green hue. 

 It now Hies away from the place of its 

 birth, to enjoy the open air." 



P. mali. Apple Chermes. For the 

 following I am also indebted to the too 

 much neglected work of JNI. Kollar : — 



" It usually appears in June. In 

 September, the apple chermes pair, and 

 lay their eggs. They are white, and 



third time of changing the skin comes 

 on in about eight days, sometimes 

 sooner and sometimes later, according 

 to the weather. After this skin the 

 wing rudiments very distinctly make 

 their appearance, and become larger 

 and whiter the nearer the insect ap- 

 proaches to the perfect state. The 

 body is also of a light green, and the 

 larva; have black eyes, and blackish 

 antenna;. At last the time arrives when 

 the insect assumes the perfect state ; 

 when it retires to a part of a leaf which 

 it had selected, and after having firmly 

 fixed itself there, the back splits open, 

 and the beautiful winged chermes ap- 

 pears from the nymph. The back of 

 the thorax is of a light green, the abdo- 

 men is marked with yellow rings, and 

 the membranous wings with strongly 

 marked snow-white veins." 



pointed at both ends, a line and a halfl P. cratcrf^i infests the camellia. It 



long, and the fourth of a line thick, 

 and become yellow before the young 

 escapes. The apple chermes lays its 

 eggs in different places of the twigs of 

 an apple-tree ; usually, however, in the 

 furrows of the knots, and sometimes in 

 a very regular manner. The larva; 

 ■were scarcely escaped from the egg, in 

 the open air, when they hastened to 

 the nearest bud, and began to gnaw its 

 scales, because the bud was only some- 

 what swollen, and had not begun to 



is destroyed by syringing with tobacco 

 water, or diluted gas ammoniacal liquor, 

 until the insects are dead, and then 

 syringing with water only. 



P. ficus and P. ros«, are respectively 

 on the fig and rose trees. 



PTELEA trifoliata. Hardy decidu- 

 ous shrub. Layers. Light rich loam. 



PTELIDIUM ovntum. Stove ever- 

 green shrub. Ripe cuttings. Sandy 

 loam and peat. 



PTEIIIS. Forty-six species. Stove, 



sprout. On the second day after their ) green-house, and hardy and herbaceous 



