74 AUSTRALIAN BUG. 



long in spirit, I have no doubt that they were really 

 eleven, jointed like those described by MM. Signoret, 

 Maskell, Comstock, and other observers. 



The egg-sac is white, formed of minute threads 

 exuded by the insect, and is striped from the line of its 

 attachment to the body, to the hinder extremity or sides, 

 by about fifteen parallel, round-topped ridges, having 

 deep hollows between. In the case of some of the sacs 

 which I examined, the central longitudinal ridge was 

 narrowest, even to being half the width only of the 

 others. 



The general appearance of the female is well described 

 by the name of " Cottony Cushion Scale," used in 

 California, or also the name of " Eibbed Scale." Within 

 the sac lie a multitude of oval salmon-coloured eggs, as 

 many, it is stated, as from 200 upwards. 



In Prof. Trimen's Eeport he states that the young 

 hatch gradually from the eggs deposited in the cottony 

 nidus, but appear only to leave it by degrees, till at 

 length all have departed, and the empty skin of the dead 

 mother alone remains behind. 



Mr. Bairstow also remarked on this head : " The 

 Bugs do not all hatch at once. I do not remark any 

 sudden exit or uniformity and spontaneousness in 

 clearance. Several days are occupied in effecting a 

 total riddance from the oviparous mother." And he 

 further observed of the young Bugs, that "when hatched 

 and emerging from the maternal nidus the spider-like 

 insects are extremely active for about thirty-six hours ; 

 then they choose a spot for settlement and remain 

 stationary." 



The two figures of larvae are taken from a series of 

 slight pen-and-ink sketches made from life by Mr. 

 Bairstow to illustrate the changes of appearance of the 

 specimens under observation, the first showing the 

 general appearance in an early stage of development, 

 the second showing the patchy appearance of the fine 

 growth of the flocculent covering. 



From my own examination of the larva in the first 



