fame 'minute Bntifh Shells . j 69 
embryos of (hells taken out of fomebag or ovary. It is certain, 
however, that this is a miftake «, for having collected a few of the 
largeft and moft opaque of thefe fuppofed Jhdls , and fuch as had 
no perforation to be found in them, I immerfed them for a few 
minutes in hot water, and then carefully developing the fcales of 
which they were compofed, I found in the centre of all the largeft 
and moft perfedt a fmall infedl, enveloped in a mealy fubftance, 
about the fize of a fmall bed-bug, of a roundifh oval figure, 
dark brown colour, convex on the back, (lightly concave be- 
neath, and in every inftance, except one (out of at leaft fifty 
which I opened), all without wings. The body was compofed of 
about eight imbricated fegments or rings ; the head was very 
(hort, and almoft concealed under the margin of the thorax ; 
however, I plainly difcerned, in fome of the (pecimens, that 
it was furnifhed with two fhort filiform antennee. The trunk 
had fix legs ; the feet terminated each with a fharp red claw. 
The body of the Jingle fpecimen which had wings was ob- 
long, and narrower than the apterous ones. The wings 
appeared to be glued down to the body, juft as in a bee or 
wafp, when it is almoft ready to emerge from the Pupa ftate. 
Whether they were two or four wings I am not abfolutely cer- 
tain ; but they appeared to be of the filmy tranfparent kind, 
at leaft near the extremities ; for I clearly perceived the nerves 
as in the wings of a fly. From hence it evidently appears, 
that thefe Gold Shells are really no other than the cafes or cells 
of an infedt in its Pupa ftate ; and from confidering the form of 
its body , the difference of the fexes y the one being apterous , 
the other winged , I have no doubt but it is a fpecies of cochi- 
neal or coccus , and probably one not hitherto delcribed by 11a- 
turalifts. The cafes do not effervefce with acids, therefore 
they are not of a tefaceous nature. They feem to be a vege- 
Vol. LX XV I. Z table 
