NOTES AND QUERIES. 487 



8-jointed, the maximum number of about twenty-five being attained in the 

 males of some Coccida." I have seen this statement repeated in various 

 entomological works, but I believe it to be quite erroneous, and founded 

 upon the fact tbat in many male Monophlebids the joints are 3-nodose, 

 each node giving rise to a prominent whorl of hairs. Ten is the normal 

 number of joints in the males of the Coccidce. I know of no species in 

 which this number is exceeded. I give a sketch below of the antenna 

 of a male Monophlebus, which will show you how the misconception 

 has arisen. — E. Ernest Green (Royal Botanic Garden, Peradeniya, 

 Ceylon). 



[Mr. Green appears to be quite correct in his contention on this 

 point, as may be seen from the above figure, and from microscopical 

 examination made since the receipt of his letter. I had unquestionably 

 followed the opinions of very high authorities. Latreille (' Le Regne 

 Animal,' tome v. p. 232 (1829)), who appears to have been the first 

 to give a diagnosis of the genus, which he writes " Monophleba," refers 

 to a species from Java, " remarquable par ses antennes, composees 

 d'environ vingt-deux articles." Burmeister (' Handbuch der Ento- 

 mologie,' ii. p. 80 (1835)) describes the males of Monophlebus as having 

 up to twenty-five joints. Westwood, who paid much attention to the 

 genus (' Vigors' Zool. Journ.' v. p. 452 (1835) ), describes the antennae 

 of the male of one species as "26 articulataa." Recently Dr. Sharp 

 ('Cambridge Nat. Hist.' vol. vi. p. 539 (1899)) has described the 

 maximum number of antennal joints in some males as about twenty- 

 five. The issue rests on the method of morphological interpretation, 

 and Mr. Green has done a very useful service. — Ed.] 



A Remarkable West African Leaf- Gall. — The gall illustrated in the 

 accompanying photograph is very noticeable, owing to its resemblance 

 to an inflorescence. It is common enough in this locality, and I have 

 met with more than a dozen specimens of it. It is always found on 

 the same plant (apparently a species of Ficus), and I have only seen 



