QuiEiKETT, on the Mealy Bug of the Vine. 3 
were nearly of the same nature as those of the insect wax^ the 
principal difference beings that they were of greater length and 
rather larger diameter^ being on an average -^^QQth. of an inch. 
The tube in the interior was also larger in proportion to the 
diameter of the filaments. A few examples of both kinds of 
filaments are represented in fig. 3, the smallest being those 
of which the great bulk of the cocoon was made up. I found 
it was a difficult matter at first to moisten these cocoons; 
neither water^ glycerine, nor turpentine answered for the pur- 
pose ; but I subsequently ascertained that alcohol did it 
completely, and from most of these oval bodies, which I have 
called cocoons, I have been able to extract a small insect ; in 
one case the insect had wings, but all the others were without 
them. I concluded that this winged insect might probably 
be a young male Coccus. The apterous insects were of a 
brovm colour ; but upon carefully examining some parts of 
the white mass most free from cocoons, I discovered a num- 
ber of red bodies about -ioih. of an inch in diameter ; these I 
concluded to be the young females, and their bodies were full 
of the beautiful and characteristic colouring matter. On 
submitting a cocoon to the action of heat, I found that a 
portion of it would melt and crystallize on cooling, precisely 
like the insect wax, but the temperature was much higher 
than 184°. In melting, all the tubular filaments disappear, 
but in the residuum there are numerous globules, probably of 
an oily nature. I should think, therefore, that the insect 
wax of China and the white matter of the cochineal insect 
would turn out to be as nearly alike in chemical composition 
as they are in their minute structure.^' 
Since this time my attention has been directed to all the 
insect productions I could meet with that, as far as external 
appearances were concerned, at all resembled the insect >i'ax, 
and, with this view, the cocoons of insects, and the white 
flocculent substance known as American blight, have been ex- 
amined, but none of these presented the same character as the 
wax in question ; it however happened, that about six weeks 
since I was spending an evening with Mr. Furze, one of our 
members, when a gentleman of the party, Mr. Evans, a sur- 
geon, from Walthamstow, brought for examination some 
specimens of the mealy bug, which at that time he had dis- 
covered on one of his grape-vines. On seeing this for the 
first time, I was immediately struck with its resemblance to 
that of the Coccus Sinensis, and at once, with Mr. Evans's 
permission, proceeded to examine the white filamentous mass 
beneath the bodies of the creatures. It was at first seen by 
reflected light, and many of the filaments which appeared to 
