132 
SPICES 
CHAP. 
eggs one month later. It does not fly readily, but can 
be shaken off the tree or destroyed by hand picking. 
Spangle -scale Lecamium expansum, Freem., var. 
metallicum . — This is a rounded, oval, flat scale-insect, 
\ in. across, of a pale green colour at first, with a fine 
ridge across the back and four tubes, two on either side. 
It is very firmly attached to the leaf on the upper side, 
so that it is difficult to detach it without breaking it. 
Beneath, when adult, are to be seen the larvae, very 
small red or black fleshy insects. It is met with on 
the leaves of the nutmeg, usually on the upper surface. 
I have found it in Singapore and Malacca, and usually 
on weakly trees. These scale -insects suck the juice 
of the leaf with their beaks, and are sometimes very 
injurious. This one is, however, not very common, and 
the Chinese planters who knew it said it was not in- 
jurious. It eventually becomes silvery in colour and 
prettily reticulated, hence its English name. 
A white Coccus is not rare on weakly trees, but 
appears usually to do but little harm. If numerous, the 
leaves should be washed with a solution of soft-soap 
and tobacco-water, or phenyl mixed with water, and 
sprayed with syringe. 
Where these blights are seen it may be assumed 
that the plant is weak and requires manuring. 
Formica smaragdina. This common red ant, 
known as the keringga in the Malay Peninsula, makes 
its nest by drawing together the leaves of a tree and 
attaching them with silk. It is troublesome not only 
on account of its bite, but also because it spoils the 
leaves by sewing them together, thus causing them to 
die. They are almost a certain sign that there is blight 
on the tree, as they live largely on the sugary excretion 
of the coccidae, and frequently bring the pests to the 
tree from elsewhere as a food supply, and thus are 
injurious. They also, however, kill caterpillars and 
other noxious insects, and are in this way useful. They 
are easily evicted by destroying the nests with a blow 
of a stick, or killed by any ordinary insecticide. 
