TRANSACTIONS. 
On the Metamorphoses of a Coccus found upon Oranges."^ 
By Richard Beck. 
(Read March 13th, 1861.) 
If the external surface of almost any of the sweet oranges 
be only cursorily examined, it will be found more or less 
spotted with small scales, the shields of a coccus or scale 
insect ; they are adherent to the rind of the orange, but can 
easily be detached; and, on turning one of the larger ones 
over, it will be found, on examination under a low power, 
to present, as the most striking feature, a large accumula- 
tion of eggs lying beneath a cottony secretion (Plate V, 
fig. 1, b) ; very frequently these eggs are in the process of 
hatching, and, under such circumstances, we have the insect 
in its larva state (fig. 3) . 
The body is white, oval, and very fiat : there are two 
antennae proceeding from underneath ; they are about one 
fourth the length of the body, rather hairy, and of eight or 
nine joints, two very small light-pink ocelli, or simple eyes, 
occur one on each side, at the very edge of the body, and 
about where the long curves of the oval commence ; consider- 
ably below the antennse is a proboscis, a long and apparently 
horny tube, proceeding from a conical base. These, with 
the exception of a few isolated hairs, are the only external 
organs of the head that are apparent. The legs are six 
in number, each consisting of, I think, four members; 
the terminal ones being provided with a hook, and two or 
more very small suckers hardly to be distinguished from 
* The author considers these observations as very incomplete; his 
object in la3-ing them before the society in such a state was to afford any 
member an opportunity of investigating the subject whilst the oranges were 
in season, having since found that tlie same coccus is in great quantities 
on plants in this country, and that the eggs are now hatching ; he would 
still call the attention of microscopists to the subject. 
VOL. I. — NEW SER. g 
