78 STATES OF INSECTS. 



oviduct, she pushes it between her belly and the cottony 

 stratum just mentioned, and the succeeding eggs are de- 

 posited in the same manner until the whole are excluded. 

 You will ask how there can be found space between the 

 insect's belly and the cotton, to which at first it was close- 

 ly applied, for so large a mass of eggs ? To comprehend 

 this, you must consider that nearly the whole contents of 

 its abdomen were eggs ; that in proportion as these are 

 extruded a void space is left, which allows the skin of 

 the under side of the body to be pushed upwards, or 

 towards that of the back, affording room between it and 

 the cottony web for their convenient stowage. If you 

 examine the insect after its eggs are all laid, yovi will find 

 that they have merely changed their situation ; instead 

 of being on the upper side of the skin forming the belly, 

 and within the body, they now are placed between it 

 (now become concave and nearly touching the back) and 

 the layer of cotton. As soon as the female Coccus has 

 finished her singular operation she dies ; but her body, 

 retaining its shape, remains glued upon the eggs, to 

 which it forms an arched covering, effectually protecting 

 them, until they are hatched, from every external injury. 

 Some species lay so many eggs, that the abdomen is not 

 sufficiently large to cover the whole mass, but merely 

 one side of it, the remainder being enveloped in cottony 

 web a . 



I am next to consider the situation of those eggs that 



are excluded by the mother in groups without any other 



covering than the varnish with which they are usually 



besmeared in their passage from the oviduct. The fe- 



a Reaum. iv. Mem. i. 



