THE WOMBAT. 85 



University, N.Z., whose death in May of the present year 

 deprives entomology of one of its brightest ornaments. Maskell 

 named, figured and described a larger number of Coccids than 

 any other entomologist past or present, and he is generally 

 recognised as the highest authority on the family — or indeed 

 on any of the families of the Homoptera. He did a great deal 

 towards placing the Psyllidae on a satisfactory footing, and 

 his contributions to a " Monagraph of the Aleurodidce," a 

 family of Homoptera, are unprecedented. But Coccids were 

 his favourite study, and during the last 20 years his systematic 

 notes on Coccids appeared with unceasing regularity in the 

 Tians. N.Z. Inst., and stray papers under his name have 

 appeared in Indian Museum Notes, The Entomologists Monthly 

 Magazine, P. L.S.N. S.W., and Tram. Roy Sec. S.A. His 

 book on the Scale Insects of New Zealand, 1887, awakened the 

 interest of Australian Entomologists, and since then probably 

 over 100 species have been named by him from specimens fur- 

 nished to him from the colonies and Pacific Islands, so that 

 Maskell may rightly be called the pioneer Australasian 

 Coccidist 



Maskell steadfastly kept in view the clearness and 

 simplicity which eve^where pervade his work, and in reply 

 to some critics in 1891 he says : — " The classification which I 

 have used is, to me, the simplest, the best, and most con- 

 venient. Others are perfectly free to adopt it or not, as they 

 please. I claim that it puts the family Coccidae before the 

 student in the clearest and completest way, and so thinking I 

 propose to adhere to it." During the 20 years or so that his 

 classification was presented to the world Maskell made many 

 friends in all parts, and anyone who has kept up a corres- 

 pondence with him for many years as 1 have done will greatly 

 feel his loss ; his kindness in identifying specimens, and his 

 untiring enthusiasm in assisting others, are also well known. 

 In paying this tribute to the memory of W. M. Maskell, I 

 can merely add that his death makes a gap not easily filled. 



The Coccidae have been divided into six sub-families, viz. 



(1) Diaspidinae. (4) Coccinae. 



(2) Lecaninae. (5) Monophlebinae. 



(3) Hemicoccinae. (6) Brachyscelinae. 



According to Maskell they are characterised (the first 

 four) as follows : — Scale Ins. N.Z. p. 37-38, 1887. 



Diaspidinae. 

 Larvae active, naked ; adult females and pupae stationary, 

 covered with separate shields or puparia, composed partly of 

 secretion, partly of the earlier discarded pellicles ; females 

 apodous after larval stage : abdomen of females not exhibiting 

 a median cleft or dorsal lobes. 



