THE LAC COCHINEAL. 3II 



keel-shaped, and the belly flat. The antenna? are 

 half the length of the body, filiform, and diverging, 

 sending off two and sometimes three diverging 

 hairs, the tail is a little white point, from whence 

 proceed two horizontal hairs as long as the body. 



Mr. Kerr, who has given a minute account of 

 these insects in the Philosophical Transactions, says 

 that he has otten observed their birth, but could 

 never see any of them with wings ; nor was he ever 

 able to remark any distinction in the sexes : owing 

 he confesses, most probably to the minuteness of 

 the objects, and the want of proper glasses. 



They are produced from the womb of the parent 

 in the months of November and December. For 

 some time they traverse the branches of the trees 

 upon which they are produced, and then fix them- 

 selves on the succulent extremities of the young 

 shoots. By the middle of January they are all fixed 

 in their proper situations, and, though they now ex- 

 hibit no marks of life, appear as plump as before. 

 The limbs, antenna? and bristles of the tail are no 

 longer to be seen. Around the edges of their body 

 they are environed with a sub-pellucid gelatinous 

 liquid, which seems to glue them to the branch. 

 The gradual accumulation of this liquid at length 

 forms a complete cell for the insect, which takes 

 place about the middle of March. The insect is 

 now, in appearance, an oval smooth red bag, with- 

 out life, about the size of a small American Cochi- 

 neal insect, emarginated at the obtuse end, and full 

 of a beautiful red liquid. 



In October and November twenty or thirty small 

 X 4 



