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II,—ZOOLOGY,. 
Art, XVI.—On some Coccidæ in New Zealand. By W, M. MASKELL. 
[Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 6th June, 1878.] 
Plates V., VI., VII. and VIII. 
Tux Coccide—Scale or Gale insects—are a family of the order Homoptera. 
They are exceedingly common in all parts of the world, and I may say that 
in New Zealand I have scarcely come across a single plant or tree that is 
not in some way attacked by them. In many instances plants are found 
wjth several species of Coccidæ living on them together, and sometimes the 
number of insects on a leaf is so great as entirely to cover the surface, 
rendering the plant very unsightly. 
Notwithstanding, however, the enormous number of these insects and 
the undoubted damage which they do, there is not much known about 
them. I believe I am correct in stating that in this colony nobody has 
yet attempted to study them: probably the very great incentives to research 
in other branches of natural history have diverted attention from these little 
pests. It is, however, curious that in older countries scarcely more know- 
ledge has been attained regarding the Coccide. Books and papers respect- 
ing them are certainly not few in number. I have a list of more than a 
hundred authors who have written something upon the subject. But, with 
the exception of the insects yielding cochineal, gum-lac, and other articles 
of commercial value, and a few whose peculiarities of form attracted special 
notice, hardly any of the genera or species have, until lately, been satisfac- 
torily described. Most of the authors referred to seem to have contented 
themselves either with indefinite accounts or with copying the phrases of 
those who preceded them. 
An application to the Librarian of the British Museum, last year, made 
known to me a work by M. V. Signoret, a member of the Entomological 
Society of France, giving a monographical account of the known species of 
Coccide. After some months’ delay I have succeeded in procuring this 
work, and I have to express my thanks to Dr. von Haast and to Professor 
Milne-Edwards of Paris, the former of whom wrote for, the latter of whom 
forwarded, a copy of M. Signoret’s book to me, 
