116 
AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 
The young insects are produced from eggs deposited by the female 
under the broader end of the outer case, or shell; and, when first 
hatched, are furnished with six legs, by means of which they escape 
from under the maternal shelter, which is somewhat elevated from the 
leaf, at the hinder part, to allow the egress of the young, which are. 
extremely small, and appear in numbers, like minute, yellowish specks 
upon the leaf; hut, if magnified, the six legs, two antennae, and two 
short bristles, at the end of the abdomen, can be plainly distinguished. 
The body is of a pale-yellowish color, and divided into segments. 
When tired of rambling, and having arrived at a suitable place 
for feeding, the cocci fix themselves to the leaf, or branch, for life. 
A light-colored, semi-transparent film, or case, with two projecting 
points at the narrow end, is soon formed over the young insect, and 
under this thin scale, it may at first be plainly perceived. The scale 
gradually increases in size, and becomes more opaque and brown, 
until the shell of the female attains its full growth, at which time it 
measures about the tenth of an inch in length. It the large scales 
are taken from the leaf, the female larva, or worm, may be seen m the 
ooncavity of the scale, in the same manner as an oyster or muscle, 
rather in the concave valve of its shell. This grub is of a yellowish, 
or sometimes pink color. The case itself, when turned upside down, 
appears to have a narrow margin of a whitish, or semi-transparent 
substance, where it had adhered to the leaf; a flat flap, or wmg, 
extends on each side from the head, or narrowest end, at least two- 
tliirds down the shell. This appears also to have adhered to the leaf. 
A longitudinal opening is left between the two projecting pieces, 
where°the naked body of the grub may be seen. The end, towards 
the thicker extremity, is often vacant until filled with eggs, which, 
in color, are yellowish or pink. The head of the grub is placed 
towards the narrow part of the scale, and a piercer, or thread-like 
filament, proceeds from the under part of the breast, by means of 
which it sucks the juices from the plant. It the scale is gently ie- 
moved from the leaf, it will often be found to hang to it by means of 
this thread-like piercer. 
When the female commences to lay her eggs, under the shelter ot 
the scale, they appear to be deposited in parallel rows on each side ; 
but it is difficult to ascertain their number correctly. As many as 
twenty or thirty, however, have been counted in one female scale. I he 
female decreases in size in proportion to the number of eggs laid, and 
finally after having deposited all under the scale, she dies and dues 
away in the smaller end, with the case still adhering to the leaf. 
The scale of the male is much smaller than that of the female. The 
grub inside, after changing into a pupa, of a yellow color, with rudi- 
ments of wings, legs, and antennae, eventually emerges from the case 
a perfect two-winged fly, so extremely minute as to be scarcely per- 
ceptible to the naked eye. 
The head of the perfect fly is small, rounded, and furnished with 
two comparatively long, jointed, and somewhat hairy or bristly an- 
temiue ; the thorax is very large; it has six short legs, and two large, 
transparent wings, in which are two nervure. The body is short, 
in comparison with the thorax, and has a long point, curved down- 
