296 coccus. 



a black, dust-like appearance, on which the flies fed 

 eagerly ; and that the shoots and leaves thus affected 

 did not thrive, nor did the fruit ripen. To this sub- 

 stance I applied my glasses ; but could not discover 

 that it had any thing to do with animal life, as I at 

 first expected : but upon a closer examination behind 

 the larger boughs, we were surprised to find that 

 they were coated over with husky shells, from whose 

 sides proceeded a cotton-like substance, surrounding 

 a multitude of eggs. This curious and uncommon 

 production put me upon recollecting what I have 

 heard and read concerning the coccus vitis viniferce of 

 Linnaeus, which, in the south of Europe, infests many 

 vines, and is a horrid and loathsome pest. As soon 

 as I had turned to the accounts given of this insect, 

 I saw at once that it swarmed on my vine ; and 

 did not appear to have been at all checked by the 

 preceding winter, which had been uncommonly 

 severe. 



Not being then at all aware that it had any thing 

 to do with England, I was much inclined to think 

 that it came from Gibraltar, among the many boxes 

 and packages of plants and birds which I had formerly 

 received from thence ; and especially as the vine 

 infested grew immediately under my study window, 

 where I usually kept my specimens. True it is, that 

 T had received nothing from thence for some years : 

 but as insects, we know, are conveyed from one 

 country to another in a very unexpected manner, 

 and have a wonderful power of maintaining their 

 existence till they fall into a nidus proper for their 

 support and increase, I cannot but suspect still that 

 these cocci came to me originally from Andalusia. 

 Yet, all the while, candour obliges me to confess, 

 that Mr. Lightfoot has written me word, that he 

 once, and but once, saw these insects on a vine at 

 Weymouth, in Dorsetshire; which it is here to be 



