900 Note on the " Flata Ltmbata," [No. 142. 



The last change being completed, the perfect insect now assumes 

 the place of the larva, and clusters in hundreds around the stems of the 

 same shrubs that nourished it through its immature stages, and instead 

 of the snowy aspect which they formerly wore, the twigs are now, as 

 it were, encircled by small green leaves or fruit. 



I have never seen the Flata Limbata in motion unless when disturb- 

 ed. They appear to pass their lives in a state of inactivity, merely 

 moving round the stems of the shrubs, and never willingly leaving them 

 until disturbed, when they spring off with a sudden hop, as the larva 

 did before them, and like them, although dispersed far and wide, 

 they gradually make their way back to the twigs of their favorite 

 bushes. 



The eggs are deposited within the twigs of the shrubs, which are 

 punctured in patches of about one inch in length all round the stem, 

 which frequently bears four or five of these nests ; the places of deposit 

 are detected by a slight swelling of the wood. 



It is stated in Westwood's edition of Donovan's insects of China, that 

 the wax deposited by the "Flata nigricornis" has been supposed to 

 be the excrement of the insect, but that such is not in reality the case. 

 I am of opinion, however, that the supposition is correct, and that the 

 wax-like substance is nothing more than an accumulation of the faeces 

 dropped in a liquid state from the larva, and I am strengthened in this 

 belief from observing, that a perfect shower of minute liquid drops 

 descends at intervals from the clusters of larva, and that these drops 

 after accumulating and partially drying, are converted into the waxy 

 state from which it is supposed wax candles are made, and which fur- 

 nishes the famous white wax of the Chinese Empire. It has been 

 suggested, that the liquid drops are an exudation from the punctured 

 branches of the tree, but this I think is impossible ; because in the first 

 place, the drops of liquid are so minute and so sticky, that they would 

 not have weight enough to cause them to detach themselves from the 

 punctured stems ; and secondly, because the larva are so closely 

 clustered together round the stems, that any juices dropping from the 

 tree, would never reach the ground, but must inevitably be intercepted 

 by, and accumulated upon the bodies of the larva, which would thereby 

 be destroyed. From these observations I am of opinion, that the liquid 

 is the excrement of the larva, and it appears to differ very little from 



