THE PUPA. 



bles that of the perfect insect, the usual tints being 

 yellow and crimson, or more rarely mauve or brown, 

 etc. 



THE MALE. 



The most extraordinary characteristic of this sex is 

 the complete absence of a mouth, which is perfectly 

 obsolete ; and the position one would naturally expect 

 to find it in is occupied by a comparatively broad 

 band of dark chitin, on either side of which are 

 usually one or more pairs of comparatively large ocelli. 

 The males are generally winged, but a few species are 

 apterous; and Ghionaspis salicis possesses both apter- 

 ous and winged forms a characteristic decidedly ex- 

 ceptional and unique among British Coccids. The 

 discovery of this interesting fact was made by the 

 writer in 1889. 



The alate forms possess only two wings, with a 

 single bifurcate nervure ; the lower pair being repre- 

 sented by a pair of halteres, or hooked bristles, which 

 fit into minute turned-up flaps or pockets in the wings. 

 Compared with the size of the insect the wings are 

 rather large, semi-transparent, widely rounded at the 

 tips, and are generally more or less hyaline, the latter 

 character being strongly marked in the common 

 " mealy bug " (Dncb/lopius) of our hothouses, which 

 under certain lights is of a beautiful intense blue. 

 In repose they lie flat upon the body and usually 

 partly cross each other. The segmentation of the 

 abdomen is present, but not very pronounced. The 

 genital armature in the Diaspinae is very long and 

 sabre-like; while in the other British genera it is 

 usually short, and frequently accompanied by two to 

 four long white filamentous appendages. 



I have never observed a male Coccid voluntarily 

 take to flight; but have occasionally induced certain 

 species to do so by agitating them with a pointed 



