Reports to the Board of A gricitlture, 17 1 
their bodies, and then soon cast their skin. As in all this group of 
insects, they lose their legs and antennae, and become apodal 
females. These females are minute yellow egg-shaped masses which 
become covered with a dense matting of white wool. 
This wool is soon removed by rains, but is rapidly formed again. 
A correspondent writing from Yorkshire evidently noticed this 
feature, for he says, “ The extraordinary heavy rains of the last few 
days have killed the creatures.” 
This insect mainly attacks the trunk, but may ascend into the 
boughs. Specimens of it on small boughs have recently been 
received from Surrey. The trunks, however, are mainly affected. 
A specimen sent to the Museum by Mr. R. Burdon, of the Castle, 
Castle Eden, Durham, has the thick incrustation of this pest all over 
it. Mr. Burdon, as previously reported (First Report, p. 39), 
mentions a previous outbreak of this pest in Northumberland some 
fifty years ago, during which a lot of fine beeches were lost. 
Another correspondent also records the loss of a beech in 
Gloucestershire (p. 39), and points out that the trees at Longwillow 
Hall, Morpeth, are attacked on the east side. This has been generally 
noticed. 
I find a note in the Journal of the Land Agents’ Society, no. 5, 
vol. ii., 1903, p. 167, to the following effect : — “I observed the above 
(Blight on Beech Trees) on some trees, so I wrote to Mr. Warburton, 
the entomologist of the Royal Agricultural Society, and he tells me 
it is ‘ a special beech scale called Cryptococcus fagi . . . ’ It is to be 
found everywhere, but never makes any headway unless the tree is 
dying from other causes. In fact, it seems to be a symptom, and 
not a cause of ill-health, and clearing off the scale has no very 
marked effect in improving the tree. — (F. N.) ” This is obviously 
wrong, as any one who is acquainted with this disease knows. Again, 
in the same paper an anonymous writer, “ C.,” states that “ the scale 
shoots off wet and rain, and prevents any curative wash or spray being 
used with any effect.” This again is wrong, for it is speedily cleared 
by paraffin emulsion, or better still, caustic alkali wash and soft soap 
in winter. A heavy spraying with either kills the pest; the soft soap 
sticks the wash to the insect debris just as it does to Woolly Aphis 
or other Dolphins. 
This coccus occurs in greatest numbers on light soil, and increases 
most rapidly as in all scales and Aphides in dry weather. Never- 
theless perfectly healthy trees are attacked on heavy soils and killed 
by this pest. 
Observations of such skilled foresters as Mr. A. T. Gillanders 
