48 
CURRANT. 
Besides presence of P. ribesice on Currant-bushes of various kinds, 
as noted above, there appears some reason to think that this species, 
or one, so far as we see at present, indistinguishable from it, is 
occasionally to be found on the “Mountain Ash” tree, the “Rowan” 
tree of Scotland, Pyrus aucuparia scientifically. 
Mr. Mosley, writing to me from Huddersfield, mentioned:—“On 
Saturday, June 22nd, during an excursion of our Society to Norland 
Moor (near Halifax), one of our members discovered what appears to 
be the same or a very similar Coccid.” Of this Mr. J. W. Douglas 
noted, on specimens being submitted to him :—“ The Pulvinaria is not 
distinguishable from P. ribesice .” I had also a note of a somewhat 
similar attack being observed on a Mountain Ash in the parish of 
Leslie (Aberdeenshire), but as in this instance the infested tree was 
(very wisely) at once cut down and burnt, to save risk of damage from 
spread of infestation, the attack was not fully identified. 
Summary. — From the foregoing notes it appears that this White 
Woolly Scale infests Black, Red, and White Currants, and also the 
ornamental kind commonly known as the Flowering Currant; possibly 
also is found on the Mountain Ash. Although the first duly identified 
observation of the appearance of the P. ribesice in this country did not 
occur until the past season (1889), yet an attack which is now recog¬ 
nised as the same was observed so far back as 1880; and notes from 
various places accompanying specimens sent mention the senders 
having known of the presence of the infestation for two, five, or six 
years previously, though they did not know its name. It is somewhat 
curious that, of these Currant-attacks, with the exception of the 
infestation at Wakefield and Huddersfield (and that at Ballater, which 
is not very far inland), that the rest should be on or near the sea-coast 
on the East of Scotland, namely, in the neighbourhood of Banff, 
Aberdeen, Stonehaven, Arbroath, Edinburgh, and Berwick-on-Tweed. 
The plants, or parts of plants, most affected (where specially 
reported) were bushes nailed to walls, or not fully exposed to light and 
air, or the under side of branches, and the amount of injury that can 
be caused by this attack shows that it is of a nature that requires to be 
kept in check. The simple and commonly useful measures of washing 
with soap, or soft-soap, are noted as complete failures, as also the 
application of dilute paraffin-oil; but, on the other hand, the plan of 
whitewashing the infested stems in winter, given on the good authority 
of Mr. W. M‘Kenzie as the result of his own experiments (p. 46), 
appears to have acted so well as at present to leave nothing more to be 
desired in the way of winter extirpation. But still in the cases of 
summer presence, where this remedy could not be brought to bear, and 
in case the bushes could be sacrificed without serious loss, it might be 
but a prudent course (looking at the great inconveniences of ne\y 
