FAMILY COCCID^. 163 



commended against aphides, particularly the brush, soap and water, and scraping the bark 

 with a suitable instrument. Several sorts of birds, such as wrens, chickadees, creepers, etc. 

 feed upon the larger coccidce. 



A large brown coccus, the tenth of an inch in length, inhabiting the chestnut and black- 

 oak, gives origin to one kind of honeydew. These trees, in Warren county ( New York), 

 were teeming with a species of coccus in 18-38 ; and from their bodies drops of a sweet 

 fluid were cast, which, on falling to the ground, were formed into minute threads. These 

 appeared in sunlight like the threads issuing from the gossamer spider. The leaves and 

 grass were covered with this substance. The insect had an oval form, about the size of half 

 a marrowfat pea, with a brown, wrinkled, naked skin ; that is, it was destitute of a woolly 

 or cottony covering. 



The currant-bush at present suffers from the attacks of an aphis, which has been in- 

 creasing in numbers for three or four years past. The insect occupies, as usual, the under 

 surface of the leaves. The female is uniformly green, and provided with antennse longer 

 than the body, and three rows of bristles along the back : body ovatq, thicker behind, 

 with the honey-tubes near or along the outer row of bristles. It produces a thickening and 

 reddening of the leaf, and the crisped condition that comes from punctured wounds of the 

 parenchyma. This valuable plant should receive a timely attention, before the insect has 

 increased much in numbers ; and as a remedy, whale-oil soap is undoubtedly the best. 



The snowball ( Viburnum) has been infested for years with a peculiar aphis, which 

 effectually destroys the beauty of the shrub. In some cases the leaves are all crisped and 

 rolled, and the consequence is the total loss of the beautiful and ornamental flowers pe- 

 culiar to this species of Viburnum. The insect makes its appearance with the expansion of 

 the first leaves, and continues through the season. The usual applications which have been 

 recommended, should be employed upon this plant. 



The black cherry, also, is infested with an aphis in July. The community consists of 

 males and females. Males : antennse black and equal to the body in length, pointed 

 forward ; head and thorax black or greenish black ; abdomen green ; wings twice the 

 length of the body ; thighs and tarsi black. Females green ; antennse two-thirds the 

 length of the body, turned over the back or pointed backwards ; tarsi black ; wings ru- 

 dimentary. This aphis lives upon the uppermost leaves of the young virginian cherrytree, 

 where the females produce their usual efiiects, the curling, thickening, reddening, and 

 finally the death of the leaves. 



For fruit trees, it appears to me that the best remedies against insects are those of a 

 preventative character. Trees that are kept in a thrifty growing condition by the applica- 

 tion of manures, ard the use of means to keep the bark clean and smooth, rarely suffer 

 from lice. Among both plants and animals, the feeble are generally those which suffer 

 from parasites. It is not, I believe, because the tree has become weakened in the first place 

 by them, but, on the contrary, the plant (and so also with the animal) first suffers for the 



