NEW ZEALAND SCALE-INSECTS 
(COCCIDIDA). 
CHAPTER I; 
INTRODUCTORY. 
Insects are divided by naturalists into several principal orders, 
the distinguishing marks of which are generally very well de- 
fined—for example, the butterflies and moths belong to the 
order Lepidoptera, the dragon-flies to the Neuroptera, the com- 
mon house-flies to the Diptera, and so on. These orders are 
founded upon the characters and arrangement of the wings. 
They are subdivided into families, and these again into genera 
and species. One of the orders is that of the Hemirrera, 
which is composed of the two following sections :— 
Hemiprera-Hrrrroprrera, including the bugs, water-beetles, 
Se. 
Hemrierera-Homorrera, including the crickets, cuckoo-spits, 
plant-lice (Aphides), leaf-hoppers (Psyllids),  scale- 
msects (Coccids), &e. 
The insects treated of in this volume are therefore placed as 
follows :— 
Class—InsrEcra. 
Order—Hemirrera. 
Section—Honmoprera. 
Family—Coccipipx. 
The genera and species will be found in their places. 
The common English name for this family—“ scale-insects ”’ 
—is not very appropriate. Some few of them have the appearance 
of small thin scales on leaves or twigs, but many have not. Nor 
are the German appellations—“ gall-insekten ” or “ schild-lause ” 
—more appropriate. Gardeners have given to some of them the 
