THE INJURIOUS SCALE INSECTS AND MEALY BUGS, &c. 237 
that the examples were found upon Broom (Cytisus). I have never 
seen a trace of the sex on the Apple or other plants upon which it com- 
monly feeds, which is truly remarkable, as its existence could easily 
be detected by the presence of its characteristic " scale," which is 
much smaller and narrower than that of the female, and is hinged 
towards the centre. The male is a tiny pale mauve-coloured creature, 
measuring about oV, of an inch in length. I have given a magnified 
illustration of the male (fig. 102), which will give an idea of the general 
character of the insect as seen under the low power of the microscope. 
Two facts in the economy of the insect are of importance from a 
practical point of view : — 
(1) That in autumn and winter the female covering scales contain 
only the living eggs. The female lies with them at the narrow end of 
the scale, but is dead. 
(2) That towards the end of May and the beginning of June the 
young larvae hatch, and are then active and unprotected. 
For winter application I should advise the emulsion No. 1, p. 258, 
which should be thoroughly brushed into the scale, bearing in mind the 
eggs have to be destroyed, and not the covering scales. 
Decidedly the most effectual plan of dealing with this pest is ta 
apply a dressing when the young have just hatched, for while their 
bodies are naked and unprotected they can be much more readily 
destroyed. The soap emulsion, if well applied, will be found thoroughly 
efficient and the safest remedy for the time of the year. The fact is, one 
can do without an insecticide altogether if the insects are located on 
the stems and main branches, as it is only necessary to give the 
affected parts a good brushing with a stiff brush to effectually destroy 
them. I suggested this plan to a friend who is an ardent fruit-grower, 
but instead of using a brush he rubbed the trunks of his young trees 
with the palm of his hand, and he assures me he is highly satisfied with 
the result. 
It is obvious to a practical man that such a measure could not 
be adopted where the pest has ascended to the smaller branches, as is 
only too frequently the case on wall-trained trees ; but young standard 
trees are at first almost invariably attacked about the stem and main 
branches; and it is for such trees I would advise the " brushing " pro- 
cess. I have heard that the Germans adopt similar methods of cleaning 
trees, and if so my treatment is not altogether a novelty. 
Mytilasijis ficus infests the Fig, and has been met with abundantly in 
the London district. But it is so precisely like the preceding species that 
it can only be separated by the examination of the pygidium of the female 
under a high power of the microscope, when the arrangement of certain 
hairs and lobes gives the specific characters. 
The Black Thread Scale 
(Ischiiaspis filiformis, Douglas). 
In the early days of its discovery, when Mr. Douglas first described 
this insect, it was looked upon as comparatively rare. Now it is found 
in many parts of England as a plant pest. On the West Coast of Africa. 
E 2 
