﻿ON THE LJCSHJ, OR LAC INSECT. 



BY MR. WILLIAM ROXBURGH. 



SOME pieces of very fresh-looking lac adhering 

 to small branches of mimosa clnerea^ were broughc 

 me from the mountains on the 20th of last month. 

 I kept them carefully, and to-day, the 4th of Decern- 

 be?-, fou Keen days from the time they came from the 

 hills, myriads of exceedingly minute animals were ob- 

 served creeping - about the lac and branches it adhered 

 to, and more still issuing from small holes over the 

 surface of the cells: other small and perforated ex- 

 crescences were observed with a glass amongst the 

 perforations, from which the minute insects issued, re- 

 gularly two to each hole, and crowned with some very 

 fine white hairs. When the hairs were rubbed off, 

 two white spots appeared. The animals, when single, 

 ran about pretty briskly; but in general they were so 

 numerous as to be crowded over one another. The 

 body is oblong, tapering most towards the tail, below 

 plain, above convex, with a double, or flat margin : la- - 

 terally on the back part of the thorax are two small tu- 

 bercles, which may be the eyes : the body behind the 

 thorax is crossed with twelve rings ; legs six ; feelers 

 (antennae) half the length of the body, jointed, hairy, 

 each ending in two hairs as long as the antennae ; rump, 

 a white point between two terminal hairs, which are as 

 long as the body of the animal ; the mouth I could not 

 see. On opening the cells, the substance that they were 

 formed of cannot be better described, with respect to 

 appearance, than by saying it is like the transparent 

 amber that beads are made of: the external covering 

 of the cells may be about half a line thick, is re- 

 markably strong and able to resist injuries ; the par- 

 titions are much thinner ; the cells are in general 



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