LtFE-HtSTOUY OF A JIONOrill-EBUS. 151 



parts of the body become covered witli the unpleasant sticky 

 liquid, and half-an-hour's walk through an infested forest 

 reduces one to a condition of great discomfort. This state of 

 affairs, in years favourable to the increase of the insect, may last 

 from early in January until well on into April. 



Another peculiarity about the female is its power of dropping 

 from great heights without harming itself. The smart pat of 

 scales falling from the branches of the tallest trees is to be 

 continually heard on all sides. They appear generally to fall on 

 to their ventral surface, and out of numbers examined I never 

 found one instance in which the scale appeared to have suffered 

 injury or even inconvenience from its great drop. "Whether the 

 coccids allow themselves purposely to fall, or whether they get 

 pushed off the branches by companions, I am unable to say, but 

 their habit of feeding so close together would certainly cause 

 their displacement at times. This point is of importance, since 

 it undoubtedly helps iu spreading the insect, which is by no 

 means a fast walker. 



A third interesting point — one common to all great increases 

 in insect pests, but perhaps especially remarkable in the case of 

 this very noticeable white scale — is the change that a few days 

 will make in the aspect of an infested area. The contrast which 

 eight days will show in this particular case is wonderful. On 

 the one day when the attack is reaching or has reached its 

 culminating point, the forest may be seen to be alive with the 

 insects. Eight days afterwards a scattered few may still be 

 seen crawling about, but the great mass have disappeared, and 

 one seems to be in quite a different locality. The female scales, 

 however, can never be said entirely to disappear from the area. 

 It is generally possible to find a few right on through the 

 months of June, July, August, and September. These may be 

 unfertilized females which developed very late, but I have not 

 been able to account for them satisfactorily. Further, in 1902, 

 after the insects had practically completely disappeared from the 

 forest, I found in several places some young scales, canary-yellow 

 to brown in colour, and from 2*08 to 3*12 mm. in length — in 

 fact, at the age and tizo usually found in late January and 

 early February. I have not been able to account for finding 

 these. 



I have not yet discovered the insect which develops from the 

 feggs laid in such numbers by the female scales. There may be 



