258 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



leaf being free from them. To the naked eye these bark-lice 

 appear like scales of wax, and they are in most cases easily re- 

 moved from the leaves by washing them with strong soap-suds, 

 and removing them with the finger-nail. 



When magnified, the scale (PI. 1, fig. 6,) is snow-white, len- 

 ticular, orbicular, being no longer than broad. The dead and 

 shrivelled body of the female is in the centre, and in form is 

 ovate, with a median dorsal slight ridge, the width of the body 

 being equal to that of the margin itself. It is of a yellowish 

 color, contrasting with the snow-white thin edge of the scale, 

 the surface of which is minutely granulated, as if frosted over. 



The young, which have not, to our knowledge, been described, 

 differ from those of Lecanium plati/cerii in being more convex ; 

 the body being thicker, with the hinder edge regularly oval, and 

 the edge of the body, especially posteriorly, thicker than in the 

 before-mentioned species. The hind edge is not sinuated and 

 tuberculated, as in L. platijcerii, but rather agrees with Riley's 

 figure of the young of Aspidiolus conchiformis, also figured in 

 the " Guide," p. 529, and this is probably a character of generic 

 value. The body is also less convex along the middle, and the 

 segments are less distinctly marked than in L. plati/cerii, while 

 it also differs in having around the edge of the posterior third 

 of the body a series of minute tubercles, (fig. 4, a,) alternating 

 with the fine hairs fringing the edge. The 8-jointed antennae 

 end in three hairs, and the eyes are black and prominent. 



It also occurred very abundantly on the leaves of the Olea 

 fragrans during the month of November, specimens having been 

 sent me by Mr. Charles Wright, of the Cambridge Botanical 

 Garden, where both the young and old occurred. 



Some of the scales had a single large hole in them, made by 

 a minute ichneumon fly of the Chalcid family. One specimen 

 was observed walking over the surface of a leaf, but unfortu- 

 nately, owing to its minute size, was lost before a description or 

 drawing could be made of it. It was pale whitish yellow and 

 blackish in color, with a short, thick, rather broad body and a 

 rather large head. It must destroy a considerable number of 

 the bark-lice, as several scales were perforated by them. It may 

 prove to be a species of Coccophagus, a genus allied to Encyrtus, 

 and known in Europe, according to Westwood, to prey on bark- 

 lice. 



