LIFE-IirSTORY OF k MONOPIILEnCS. If)? 



prey it is to be found running at a great pace over the leaveH, 

 twigs, and bark of the trees. During this portion of its 

 eiistence the insect is not gre/^arious. The larva is a voracious 

 feeder, and preys upon the large white succulent female scales 

 with the greatest avidity. Its method of operation is as 

 follows : — 



On perceiving a scale it rushes at it with great impetuosity 

 and at once fixes its mouth-parts in the soft skin, often on the 

 ventral surface between the first and second pairs of legs and a 

 little to one side. At the same moment it attaches itself to the 

 twig by its terminal adhesive pad. The scale at first makes no 

 movement, but after the lapse of a minute or two ceases feeding 

 (if it were engaged in that operation at the time of attack) 

 and commences slowly moving its antenna) and legs, at first 

 lazily, as is its habit when crawling about, but later more 

 vigorously. As it does this, a bright canary-yellow stream of 

 liquid flows down from its body onto the twig. This exudation 

 from the wound continues for about three to four minutes, after 

 which it ceases, the rest of the material being absorbed by the 

 larva, who has by now his mouth-parts firmly' fixed into the 

 coccid. This latter now makes vigorous though unwieldy 

 attempts to get away, and being so much larger than the grub, 

 often even as much as thrice its size, it at times stretches out its 

 enemy to its full length, the segments under the tension be- 

 coming much elongated. The latter, however, keeps its position 

 on the twig by means of its sucker-pad with the greatest ease. 

 Practically only the mouth, first pair of legs, and sucker-pad are 

 made use of, the first being buried in the body of its victim, the 

 second clasped round it, the third attached to the twig. The 

 2nd and 3rd pairs of legs are held backwards almost against 

 the ventral surface of the body (fig. 7). Under this sucking 

 process the formerly robust powdery- white succulent scale 

 shrinks gradually to a shrivelled, wizened, dried-up, yellowish- 

 brown skin. The larva's mouth consists of a tube terminating 

 in a swollen knob where it joins the head, the latter being 

 greenish-yellow in colour. This probably acts in the nature of 

 a sucker as well, since it exerts considerable leverage upon the 

 scale. Larvae watched feeding have spent between eight and 

 nine hours clinging to and sucking a scale, at the end of the 

 period only the shrivelled skin remaiuing. The vitality of the 

 Monophlehus is very great, since at the end of six to seven hours 



I/INN. JOIJBN. — ZOOLOGY, TO!-. XXTX. 11 



