16 



the mother in an external cavity formed by the collapse of the ventral 

 skin into the depleted abdomen. The larva in hatching leaves behind 

 both the eggshell and an embryonic pellicle (amnion?). As the partu- 

 rient mother may be wholly inclosed within the inflated skin of the sec- 

 ond stage, the young frequently appear to issue from this form of the 

 female, and it is easy to understand that with scanty material and lim- 

 ited opportunity for observation the adult female might wholly escape 

 discovery and the sac-like female of the second stage be pronounced a 

 mature viviparous insect. 



The newly-hatched larva is of a highly organized type. Its thoracic 

 segments are distinct, and the form of the body resembles a young 

 Cimex. The end of the abdomen is broadly rounded, without tubercles 

 or long trailing hairs, but with the anal tube projecting slightly beyond 

 the margin. The ventral surface of the abdomen shows a median row 

 of five large pores. 



The young in both sexes form their waxen cells in a similar manner; 

 but the males never form pits, and are apt to assemble in the vicinity 

 of some older female and establish themselves under the protection of 

 her accumulations of wax. After the first molt the females lose their 

 legs and antennae and assume the sac-like form alreadj T described. The 

 female undergoes four molts and has five stages, of which the larva 

 and the adult are active and possess legs and antenna?. The three 

 intermediate stages are stationary and differ from each other only in 

 minute details of internal structure. 



The male undergoes five molts and has six stages, in all of which, 

 except in the third, it possesses legs and antenna?. After the casting 

 of the first larval skin the young male lives and feeds like the female, 

 surrounded by a wall of wax. In this form it possesses well-formed 

 legs and antenna? and has external eyes. It produces honey dew and 

 abundant wax, and forms a long waxen thread from a tubular anal 

 spinneret. With the second molt the legs and antenna? disappear, and 

 the insect resembles a female of the second stage. 



With the casting of the apodous skin at the third molt the coccid 

 regains both legs and antenna?, but loses its rostrum. In this fourth 

 stage, which may be called the first nymph of the male, the animal 

 leaves its waxen cyst and wanders about. It is red in color and resem- 

 bles a young Dactylopius in general appearance. Little tesselations of 

 cottony wax soon arise all over the body, which becomes covered with a 

 loose flocculent follicle, in which the insect rests until ready for the 

 fourth molt. It then breaks out of its covering and casts its skin 

 under some sheltering fragments of bark. The new form which now 

 appears, the fifth, is a true nymph, with wing pads and a polygonal 

 protuberance at the end of the body inclosing the rudimentary geni- 

 tal organ. This second nymph, after wandering free for a time, in its 

 turn covers itself with a cottony follicle, out of which it breaks again 

 to cast the last skin and transform to the winged male. This last form 



