1890.] 239 



oldest examples at the thickest part, which is next to the scale ; the surface is 

 smooth, with slight, curved, transrerse indentations, and down the middle is a deep 

 impressed line, which in some cases amounts to a cleft. By its formation the scale 

 is progressively tilted up till it becomes vertical, so that the insect appears to be 

 resting on its head; the interior of the sac is filled with white eggs enveloped in 

 cotton. 



Signoret says {I. c) that " it is very near to P. vitis, but is smaller and thicker, 

 the scale more rounded, more cordate, and is specially distinguished from that species 

 in the embryonic state, being then longer, its members thicker, the tarsi and tibiae 

 much shorter (only half the length), and the long hair observable on the tibia in 

 almost all the species is here much longer ; the antennae are of about the same 

 length, but have fewer long hairs, thus while the embryo of P. vitis has six, in 

 ribesicB there are only five, of which that on the 3rd joint and that on the disc of 

 the last joint are much the longest, and the long hair at the extremity of this joint 

 being a good third shorter than these." 



Signoret states that he had collected this species at Clamart on 

 red currant bushes, and that in May, ] 871, he had found at Chambery, 

 on wild currant, two examples which appeared to be the same, and he 

 could find no difference in the embryonic larvse. Dr. Goethe found it 

 on cultivated Bibes in the Ehine country. I have long expected the 

 species would be found in Britain, but until now I had not seen it or 

 heard of its occurrence. On June 22nd, 18S9, Mr. S. L. Mosley, of 

 Huddersfield, sent me a piece of a branch of red currant, five inches 

 long, bearing 16 examples, which, by reason of their white ovisacs, 

 were very conspicuous ; and he says — 



" I found the species very abundant, early this week, on red currant, in a garden 

 at Wakefield, and yesterday my attention was drawn to it equally common on black 

 currant in the next garden to my own here. It threatens to be a very nasty garden 

 pest, and, judging from the quantity of eggs under each, one which will spread 

 rapidly. I think they must do injury to the currant bushes. A piece of a branch I 

 am just sending to Miss Ormerod, about 15 inches long, has over 100 of the Coccids 

 upon it, and many of the bushes have dead or dying branches where the insects are 

 most numerous. I thank you much for the name. 



" During an excursion of our Society to Norland Moor on Saturday last, one of 

 the Members brought me a piece of mountain ash [Pyrus aucuparia) which he had 

 found infested with the same Coccid, of which I send you specimens." 



Lewisham : June, 1889. 



P. S., May, 1890. — Miss Eleanor A. Ormerod informs me that in 

 1889 she received specimens of this species from Macduff, near Banff, 

 Stonehaven, Glenmuick, Aberdeenshire, Arbroath, Edinburgh, and 

 near Berwick on Tweed ; all attached to the branches of black, red or 

 white currant bushes, and in one instance it was reputed as found on 

 Bihes sanguineum. The earliest date of appearance furnished was 



