OF S EL BORNE. 
267 
In the year 1770 a vine, which grew on the eaft-fide of my 
*^ hoLife, and which had produced the finefl: crops of grapes for 
" years paft, was fuddenly overfpread on all the woddy branches 
with large lumps of a white fibrous fubftance refembling fpiders 
webs, or rather raw cotton. It was of a very clammy quality, 
*' flicking faft to every thing that touched it, and capable of being 
fpun into long threads. At firft I fufpecEled it to be the produd 
of fpiders, but could find nOne. Nothing was to be feen con- 
" neded with it but many brczl'fl oval hujky Jloelh, which by no 
means looked like infedls, but rather refembled bits of the dry 
bark of the vine. The tree had a plentiful crop of grapes fet, 
" when this peft appeared upon it; but the fruit was manifeflly 
injured by this foul incumbrance. It remained all the fummer, 
ftill increafing, and loaded the woody and bearing branches to 
a vaft degree. I often pulled off great quantities by handfuls ; 
but it was fo flimy and tenacious that it could by no means be 
" cleared. The grapes never filled t6 their natural perfeftion, 
" but turned watery and vapid. Upon perufing the works aftef- 
" wards of M. de Reaumur, I found this matter perfedly defcribed 
" and accounted for. Thofe hufky fhells, which I had obferved, 
" were no other than the female coccus, from whofe fides this 
cotton-like fubflance exfudes, and ferves as a covering and 
" fecurity for their eggs." 
To this account I think proper to add, that, though the female 
xocc'i are flationary, and feldom remove from the place to which 
they flick, yet the male is a winged infed ; and that the black 
dufl which I fav/ was undoubtedly the excrement of the females, 
which is eaten by ants as well as fliesi Though the utmofl feverity 
of our winter did not deflroy thefe infeds, yet the attention of the 
gardener in a fummer or two has entirely relieved my vine from 
this filthy annoyance, 
M m 2 As 
