326 FOREST ENTOMOLOGY. 



Buckton remarks : " It is not quite clear if the queen-mother 

 dies outside of the developing gall, leaving thus the young which 

 hatch from the eggs to enter those chambers alone, or whether she 

 accompanies them in their retreat." 



From the middle of June to the end of August the winged speci- 

 mens may be found emerging from the gall. They are very sluggish 

 in their movements. 



The "pupal" form presents a reddish -brown -coloured creature, 

 whose body appears " all made up of a piece." The eyes are of a 

 darker brown colour than the body. The antennas and legs are short, 

 and the wing-cases slightly greenish ; but specimens differ very much 

 in colour. As might be expected, the insect is more or less covered 

 with a resinous exudation. 



The winged imago is of a golden brown colour, which deepens very 

 much with age. The head is broad, and the eyes dark brown. The 

 antennas are short and five-jointed, the last three joints being pecul- 

 iarly straight on one side. The prothorax is comparatively broad and 

 large. The abdomen is oval-shaped. Specimens mounted for some 

 time show the abdominal segment to have a rather broken outline, 

 and ending in a short ovipositor. The wings are comparatively broad, 

 and vary in colour from a light to delicate greenish tinge. The ven- 

 ation is typical of other Chermesinae. 



About the middle of September many insects will be found deposit- 

 ing eggs on the leaves, as seen in fig. 300. In some cases an insect is 

 found on almost every leaf. The head of the insect points towards 

 the base of the leaf, and she generally places herself fairly near to the 

 base of the leaf. After depositing the eggs the female dies, but the 

 dead body is so placed that it forms a protection for the eggs. It 

 should be noted, however, that the eggs are not thrust outside the 

 body, as Gh. laricis, but on the contrary the ovisac is slightly ex- 

 tended and placed bodily on the leaf prior to the death of the 

 creature. 



These insects just referred to are, according to alternating genera- 

 tions, probably the return generation from the intermediate conifer. 



Chermes strobilobius (Kalt.) 



It is quite possible that this species has, in this country, been 

 hitherto confounded with Ch. abietis. The structural features, as 



