440 



INSECTS. 



[Chap. XII. 



The second year, however, brings a change for the worse ; 

 if the young shoots and the underside of the leaves be 

 now examined, the scales will be found to have become 

 much more numerous, and with them appear a multitude 

 of white specks, which are the young scales in a more 

 or less forward state. The clusters of berries now assume 

 a black sooty look, and a great number of them fall off 

 before coming to maturity ; the general health of the 

 tree also begins to fail, and it acquires a blighted ap- 

 pearance. A loss of crop is this year sustained, but to 

 no great extent. 



The third year brings about a more serious change, 

 the whole plant acquires a black hue, appearing as if 

 soot had been thrown over it in great quantities ; this 

 is caused by the growth of a parasitic fungus 1 over the 

 shoots and the upper surface of the leaves, forming 

 a fibrous coating, somewhat resembling velvet or felt. 

 This never makes its appearance till the insect has been 

 a considerable time on the bush, and probably owes its 

 existence there to an unhealthy condition of the juices 

 of the leaf, consequent on the irritation produced by the 

 coccus, since it never visits the upper surface of the 

 leaf until the latter has fully established itself on the 

 lower. At this period the young shoots have an ex- 

 ceedingly disgusting look from the dense mass of yellow 

 pustular bodies forming on them, the leaves get shrivel- 

 led, and the infected trees become conspicuous in the 

 row. The black ants are assiduous in their visits to 



1 Bacodium? Species of this dense interlaced mesh of fibres, 



genus are not confined to the coffee each made up of a single series of 



plant alone in Ceylon, but follow minute oblong vesicles applied end 



the " bugs " in their attacks on to end. 

 other bushes. It appears like a 



