Scale and other Parasitical Insects. 303 



others already familiar to all who are acquainted with 

 garden plants. 



The injurious effe6ls on plant life of these minute 

 parasitical or otherwise predatory inserts are very great 

 indeed, and their modes of attack exceedingly various. 

 There is scarcely a plant that one can certainly say is 

 free from the ravages of one or other of the pests. 

 Their power of reprodu6lion too is enormous, and rapid 

 beyond conception, and hence in many cases arises the 

 great difficulty of effeftively destroying them. Indi- 

 vidually they are absolutely insignificant, and con- 

 temptible so far as their power of injury is concerned, 

 but in the myriad hosts in which they often make their 

 assaults the very strongest plants rapidly succumb to 

 them. I will now describe the genera and species in the 

 order in which I have taken my notes thereon. 



Cerataphis latanise. — This though it resembles a scale 

 inseft is not one, and may easily be recognised by its 

 somewhat oval shape, dark centre and white waxen 

 fringe around the margin. So far as I have observed, it 

 attacks palms only, particularly the only aquatic palm in 

 the Gardens, Nipa fruficans. Young germinating 

 plants of this species suffer very much, and could hardly 

 be raised at all (at the Botanic Gardens,) were not these 

 creatures frequently, by hand, washed off. In all cases 

 as regards scale inse6ls, it is better to take timely a6lion 

 in their suppression, otherwise a general washing with 

 powerful destru6live liquids will be required, which in 

 the most careful hands often prove fatal to the life of the 

 most delicate plants, as well as that of the inse6ls. 

 Careless washing is not of much use. Every precaution 

 should be taken to get into their hiding and breeding 



