THE NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 221 
of being spun into long threads. At first I suspected it to be 
_ the product of spiders, but could find none. Nothing was to 
be seen connected with it but many brown oval husky shells, 
which by no means looked like insects, but rather resembled 
bits of the dry bark of the vine. ‘The tree had a plentiful crop 
of grapes set, when this pest appeared upon it; but the fruit 
was manifestly injured by this foul encumbrance. It remained 
all the summer, still increasing, and loaded the woody and 
bearing branches to a vast degree. I often pulled off great 
quantities by handfuls; but it was so slimy and tenacious that 
it could by no means be cleared. ‘The grapes never filled to 
their natural perfection, but turned watery and vapid. Upon 
perusing the work afterwards of M. de Réaumur, I found this 
matter perfectly described and accounted for. Those husky 
shells, which I had observed, were no other than the female 
Coccus, from whose side this cotton-like substance exudes, and 
serves as a covering and security for their eggs.” 
To this account I think proper to add, that, though the 
female Cocci are stationary, and seldom remove from the place 
to which they stick, yet the male is a winged insect. ‘Though 
the utmost severity of our winter did not destroy these insects, 
yet the attention of the gardener in a summer or two has 
entirely relieved my vine from this filthy annoyance. 
As we have remarked above that insects are often conveyed 
from one country to another in a very unaccountable manner, 
I shall here mention an emigration of small Aphides which was 
observed in the village of Selborne no longer ago than August 
ist, 1785. 
About three o’clock in the afternoon of that day, which was 
very hot, the people of this village were surprised by a shower 
of Aphides, or smother-flies, which fell in these parts. ‘Those 
that were walking in the street at that juncture found them- 
selves covered with these insects, which settled also on the 
hedges and gardens, blackening all the vegetables where they 
