in the insect as the shell. When narrowly examined, it is found that a thin film, of a white cotton-like substance, is interposed between the flat part of the body of the insect and the tree, which gradually grows thicker as it comes nearer to maturity. This is common to all the species; but in some the cottony matter is much more abundant than in others, and is particularly perceptible in one species which is often seen on vines in this country that are reared in a house.

When the peach coccus has attained to its fullest size, it is of a brownish colour, and is found, upon difsection, to have its whole body filled with eggs, with scarcely any viscera that are perceptible. Its upper surface, or back, is hard, like a kind of shell; its under surface, or belly, is a soft skin, and applies quite close to the tree, under which are observable the traces of its legs, now nearly obliterated. The cotton-like substance appears at first all round the edge, as a kind of cement to join it there close to the tree. When the insect has attained to its full maturity, the eggs are gradually extruded from the abdomen, without any external motion, through a small opening near to that end where the little cavity before mentioned is placed. These eggs, when once on the outside of the abdomen, are forced forward one after another towards the other end, which would be in common language called the head. In this way the whole number of eggs (sometimes to the amount of four thousand) succefsively pafs from the inside to the cavity under the outside of the belly, which is gradually enlarged as the cavity within becomes emptied; till at last, when the

whole of the eggs are laid, the skin of the belly, instead of adhering to the tree, as at first, afsumes a concave form, so as to apply close to the back, the few viscera being scarcely perceptible. And now the animal, having performed all the functions that nature intended, ceases to exist, without having ever made the smallest perceptible motion during all this time. It remains of course, after it is dead, fixed to its place as before, and serves as a covering to protect the eggs till they are hatched, and the young brood till their members have attained the necessary degree of firmness to enable them to perform the functions allotted to them.

The brood are not all hatched at one instant. Those eggs that were first laid become first vivified; and the young no sooner feel their animal powers, than they begin to look about for food. They make their exit succefsively by the aperture in the upper covering already mentioned, which has evidently been provided by nature for that and other concomitant purposes. At this period of its existence, the insect is an active little creature, of an oblong shape and whitish colour, and runs about every where with great celerity. It is provided with two small antennæ, a pair of eyes, and six legs. Instead of a mouth, it is provided with a small protuberance, somewhat like a nipple, on the under part of the breast. It continues thus active for a few days, running from place to place with a considerable degree of agility, till at length it fixes itself by means of the nipple to some tender part of the tree, in general to the leaves or young shoots of the same

in the insect as the shell. When narrowly examined, it is found that a thin film, of a white cotton-like substance, is interposed between the flat part of the body of the insect and the tree, which gradually grows thicker as it comes nearer to maturity. This is common to all the species; but in some the cottony matter is much more abundant than in others, and is particularly perceptible in one species which is often seen on vines in this country that are reared in a house.

When the peach coccus has attained to its fullest size, it is of a brownish colour, and is found, upon difsection, to have its whole body filled with eggs, with scarcely any viscera that are perceptible. Its upper surface, or back, is hard, like a kind of shell; its under surface, or belly, is a soft skin, and applies quite close to the tree, under which are observable the traces of its legs, now nearly obliterated. The cotton-like substance appears at first all round the edge, as a kind of cement to join it there close to the tree. When the insect has attained to its full maturity, the eggs are gradually extruded from the abdomen, without any external motion, through a small opening near to that end where the little cavity before mentioned is placed. These eggs, when once on the outside of the abdomen, are forced forward one after another towards the other end, which would be in common language called the head. In this way the whole number of eggs (sometimes to the amount of four thousand) succefsively pass from the inside to the cavity under the outside of the belly, which is gradually enlarged as the cavity within becomes emptied; till at last, when the

whole of the eggs are laid, the skin of the belly, instead of adhering to the tree, as at first, afsumes a concave form, so as to apply close to the back, the few viscera being scarcely perceptible. And now the animal, having performed all the functions that nature intended, ceases to exist, without having ever made the smallest perceptible motion during all this time. It remains of course, after it is dead, fixed to its place as before, and serves as a covering to protect the eggs till they are hatched, and the young brood till their members have attained the necefsary degree of firmness to enable them to perform the functions allotted to them.

The brood are not all hatched at one instant. Those eggs that were first laid become first vivified; and the young no sooner feel their animal powers, than they begin to look about for food. They make their exit successively by the aperture in the upper covering already mentioned, which has evidently been provided by nature for that and other concomitant purposes. At this period of its existence, the insect is an active little creature, of an oblong shape and whitish colour, and runs about every where with great celerity. It is provided with two small antennæ, a pair of eyes, and six legs. Instead of a mouth, it is provided with a small protuberance, somewhat like a nipple, on the under part of the breast. of the breast. It continues thus active for a few days, running from place to place with a considerable degree of agility, till at length it fixes itself by means of the nipple to some tender part of the tree, in general to the leaves or young shoots of the same

of May. After it has thus attached itself to the leaf, it remains there without motion under the appearance of a thin whitish scale; for the body, in this its larva state, appears to have superficial extent with very little depth. Its legs are concealed under the scale; so that in this, as well as in its perfect state, it has not the most distant appearance of animation.

This creature, however, pofsefses a locomotive faculty for many months, probably all the while it is in its larva state, during which time it, no doubt, changes its skin several times; but how often has not yet been ascertained. Mr. Reaumur discovered a way to put this insect in motion: for, having plucked off some of the leaves on which they had fixed themselves, and brought them into his closet for the purpose of ob-, serving them, he remarked, that so long as the leaves continued fresh and succulent, they remained in their place without any motion; but when the leaves began to dry and shrivel up, the larvæ quitted their hold, abandoned the leaves, and went about in search of food elsewhere. He afterwards observed, that when the leaves fell from the tree of themselves in autumn, the same thing took place. Though they were full of scales at the time they fell, in the space of two days not one was to be found upon them. They quitted the leaves, and, mounting the tree, attached themselves to the tender and succulent parts of the bark, especially the young shoots, and still more particularly the tenderest tops of these shoots; where they may be often found in such numbers as almost to cover the whole. In this state they remain during the winter, still making some advances in growth. But it is not till