Masgrni,—0n some Coccida in New Zealand, 189 
8rd. The males, in their perfect state, are absolutely destitute of mouth 
or beak, the place of this organ being apparently taken by the two last eyes 
just mentionod. 
4th. The females of all species are wingless. 
5th. The mouth of the female, in all species, consists of a beak or 
rostrum, usually jointed, from which start long tubular sete or bristles, 
apparently retractile, sometimes longer than the insect itself. Westwood, 
and after him Signoret, says that there are four of these sete. This is 
certainly the case in some species, but in many instances I have been 
unable, though carefully watching, to see more than three, and in some 
specimens there would seem to be no doubt on the matter. 
The above characters are constant in all the species. The differences 
observable will be noticed as I go on. 
I may say here that, in the majority of instances, the males are 
extremely rare and difficult to find; in fact, for some species, such as 
Mytilaspis pomorum (the common ne scale), I believe that the male insect 
has never been found. 
The whole family may be divided, according to Signoret, into four great 
groups :— 
1. The Diaspidse, of which we may take as the type the apple scale, 
Mytilaspis pomorum. 
2. The Brachyscelide: these appear to be chiefly Australian species, 
and have been described by M. Schrader, in the Proceedings of the 
Zoologico-Botanical Society of Vienna for 1868. 
8. The Lecanide, type L. hesperidum, common on our hollies. 
4. The Coccide: our type for this will be an insect found on the 
Norfolk Island pine and on native trees in Riccarton Bush. 
The species which I shall have to describe as being, in my opinion, 
new, will not, as far as I know at present, require the creation of a new 
group.” 
I propose to take the above groups in order, and for the present shall 
confine myself to the first. I shall begin by giving an account of the 
features characteristic of the whole group; then pass on to the distinguish- 
ing features of the various genera, and lastly describe the species which I 
have observed. 
1. Drasprpz. 
This group includes those scale insects which cover themselves with 
separate shields, composed partly of the discarded pellicles of the earlier 
stages, partly of a fibrous secretion more or less independent of the body of 
the insect. 
* Powellia (vide post) seems to belong to none of the m Soup, but I have not 
yet been able to make out where to place it, 
