22 Indian Mnsenm Notes. [Yol. III. 



many examples of the perfect male -wliich delighted me, for hitherto not 

 a single male of any of the known species of the genus Ceroplastes has 

 been discovered. Undoubtedly the males must have hatched during 

 transit, and it is well that Miss Tomlin collected them when she did^ or 

 we should have had but their empty scales to tell that they had existed. 

 Below I append a description of the different stages : — ? Adult 

 (6g. 1«), gives off a rich reddish-brown, or purple-brown stain in caustic 

 potash ; covered with a thick layer of dirty yellowish white wax, of a 

 more or less hemispherical form, often cracked and irregular in outline, 

 and apparently varying according to the age of the individual. Body 

 (fig. \h,) denuded of the wax, elongate ovate, shining reddish brown, 

 with a blunt horn-like prominence at the abdominal extremity, at the 

 apex of which are the true caudal scales; surface with fine punctures 

 arranged wide apart. Dermis when viewed from alove with a transmitted 

 light, faintly tessellated in portions only (fig. Ic), in the centre of each 

 tessellse an elongated pore, or spinneret of the shape shown at fig. \d. ; 

 these latter are always present in all parts of the dorsal dermis, but to 

 be seen as shown in the fig. 1^., they must be viewed from above and 

 they are not clearly defined in all cases. On the margins near the 

 spiracles are numerous short conical spines. Antennae (fig. le.) of 6 

 joints, of which the 3rd is longest, and forms more than one-third of 

 the antenna; 4th as long as the 5th and 6th together; 5th shortest; three 

 last with deeply gradated sides. Legs (fig. ]/.) with the coxse large, 

 trochanter with a long hair ; tarsi a little shorter than the tibiae, with 

 two short slender digitules, those of the claw uneven, i.e., one much 

 larger than the other : both dilated at base and extremity. 



Long with waxy covering 3^-8 mm., wide 3-6 mm., high 2*5 mm. 

 Long without waxy covering 5 mm., wide 2 J mm., high 2^ mm. 

 The latter is the measurement of a single ? only. 

 In the Gardener's Chronicle, 1853, page 484, Professor Westwood 

 figures the adult female, and I may say that the illustrations agree with 

 several specimens taken by Miss Tomlin. The description of the female, 

 however, is very poor, and without the illustrations would be useless. 



$ Young (fig. 1^.), dorsum evenly covered with a layer of pure 

 white wax ; margin all round with broad, lateral, projecting plates of 

 the same material ; and there are two small ones placed close together 

 over the anal orifice. In this stage the insect is very pretty, and forms 

 a very interesting microscopic object. Long |-1 mm. 



i (Fig. Vi.) Reddish brown (restored specimens), body rather 

 short, wide; eyes black, large and prominent ; the two ocelli beneath 

 small; antennae of 10 joints (fig. 1^.), 3rd longest, all with many 

 long fine hairs^ and deeply notched sides. Legs (fig. II.) ordinary. 



