60 Vict. 



Provincial Board of Horticulture. 



19 



Process of 

 Development. 



Fig. 4. 



Development of male insect ; (a) ventral view of larva after first molt ; (6) same after second molt (propupa 

 stage) ; (c) and (d) true pupa, ventral and dorsal view, all greatly enlarged. 



(L. 0. Howard and C. L. Marlatt, Bulletin No. 3, New Series, Division of Entomology , 

 U. S. Department of Agricidture. ) 



The male of this species is a winged insect. It is very minute, scarcely noticeable with- 

 out a lens, very light and frail, at the mercy of the least puff of wind, and incapable of any 

 great journey. The female has no perceptible legs, and is utterly incapable 

 of motion. She resembles a yellowish or orange, flattened seed, in bulk 

 many times that of the male; but firmly fixed to one point by the scaly 

 covering which is at once her protection and her grave. The young are active for a very brief 

 time, two or three days at most, and they crawl with considerable rapidity and great 

 persistence, so that they might possibly descend from one tree and crawl for a number of 

 yards to another ; but the spread in this manner is insignificant. Where trees are close 

 together they may pass from the branches of one to the branches of another; but they rarely 

 crawl long in any one direction; they rather move around, rapidly enough, yet irregularly and 

 at random. Usually they do not go further than is necessary to find a good place to fix, and 

 at once begin to form a scale. This process is rather interesting and can be watched. As 

 soon as the young louse has inserted its beak into the plant and has begun to feed, a change 

 conies over it, and within a few hours it is entirely covered by a fine, white, waxy film. This 

 turns first yellow and then grey or even black, and the creature is a fixture, absolutely 

 incapable thereafter of shifting its location undei? any possible circumstances. Strong winds 

 may carry the young bodily from one tree to another; but the principal method of spread is 

 by means of other insects which are winged, and by birds. The active young lice will soon 

 crawl upon any small winged insect, particularly if the latter is of dark colour, and they 

 may be carried by it to considerable distances. They also crawl upon the feet of birds which 

 visit the trees, and thus may be carried for miles. They are often found upon ants, and ^nts, 

 as everyone knows, are great travellers. 



