256 THE NATURAL HISTORY 



Dorsetshire ; which, it is here to be observed, is a 

 seaport town to which the coccus might be conveyed by 

 shipping. 



As many of my readers may possibly never have heard 

 of this strange and unusual insect, I shall here transcribe 

 a passage from a natural history of Gibraltar, written by 

 the Reverend John White, late vicar of Blackburn in 

 Lancashire, but not yet published : — 



" In the year 1770 a vine which grew on the east side 

 of my house, and which had produced the finest crops of 

 grapes for years past, was suddenly overspread on all the 

 woody branches with large lumps of a white fibrous 

 substance resembling spiders' webs, or rather raw cotton. 

 It was of a very clammy quality, sticking fast to 

 eveiything that touched it, and capable of being spun 

 into long threads. At first I suspected it to be the 

 produce of spiders, but could find none. Nothing was 

 to be seen connected with it but many brown oval husky 

 shells, which by no means looked like insects, but rather 

 resembled bits of the dry bark of the vine. The tree 

 had a plentiful crop of grapes set, when this pest 

 appeared upon it ; but the fruit was manifestly injured 

 by this foul incumbrance. It remained all the summer, 

 still increasing, and loaded the woody and bearing 

 branches to a vast degree. I often pulled off great 

 quantities by handfuls ; but it was so slimy and tenacious 

 that it could by no means be cleared. The grapes never 

 filled to their natural perfection, but turned watery and 

 vapid. Upon perusing the works afterwards of M. de 

 Reaumer, I found this matter perfectly described and 

 accounted for. Those husky shells, which I had 

 observed, were no other than the female coccus, from 

 whose sides this cotton-like substance exudes, and serves 

 as a covering and security for their eggs." 



To this account I think proper to add, that, though 



