the Indian name of the lac insect, which has been described in the Encyclopaedia under the title Cocculus, Species 5. Since that article was published, a description of that insect, which is more to be depended upon, has been given to the world in the second volume of the Asiatic Researches. It is by Mr. Roxburgh, surgeon on the Madras establishment, and was communicated to the Society by Dr James Anderson physician at Fort St George, who observes, that Mr Roxburgh's discovery will bring the lacsha as a genus into the class Hemiptera of Linnaeus.

"Some pieces of very fresh-looking lac (says Mr. Roxburgh) adhering to small branches of mimosa cineraria, were brought me from the mountains on the 20th of November 1789. I kept them carefully, and today, the 4th of December, fourteen days from the time they came from the hills, myriads of exceedingly minute animals were observed creeping about the lac and branches it adhered to, and more still issuing from small holes over the surface of the cells: other small and perforated excrescences were observed with a glass amongst the perforations, from which the minute insects issued, regularly two to each hole, and crowned with some very fine white hairs. When the hairs were rubbed off, two white spots appeared. The animals, when single, ran about pretty briskly, but in general they were so numerous as to be crowded over one another. The body is oblong, tapering most towards the tail, below plain, above convex, with a double, or flat margin: laterally on the back part of the thorax are two small tubercles, which may be the eyes: the body behind the thorax is crossed with twelve rings: legs six: feelers (antennae) half the length of the body, jointed, hairy, each ending in two hairs as long as the antennae: rump, a white point between two terminal hairs, which are as long as the body of the animal. The mouth I could not see. On opening the cells, the substance that they were formed of cannot be better described, with respect to appearance, than by saying it is like the transparent amber that beads are made of: the external covering of the cells may be about half a line thick, is remarkably strong, and able to resist injuries: the partitions are much thinner: the cells are in general irregular squares, pentagons and hexagons, about an eighth of an inch in diameter, and one quarter deep: they have no communication with each other. All those I opened during the time the animals were issuing, contained in one half, a small bag filled with a thick red jelly-like liquor, replete with what I take to be eggs: these bags, or utriculi, adhere to the bottom of the cells, and have each two necks, which pass through perforations in the external coat of the cells, forming the fore-mentioned excrescences, and ending in some very fine hairs. The other half of the cells have a distinct opening, and contain a white substance, like some few filaments of cotton rolled together, and numbers of the insects themselves ready to make their exit. Several of the same insects I observed to have drawn up their legs, and to lie flat: they did not move on being touched, nor did they show any signs of life with the greatest irritation.

December 5. The same minute hexapedes continue issuing from their cells in numbers: they are more lively, of a deepened red colour, and fewer of the motionless sort. To-day I saw the mouth: it is a flattened point about the middle of the breast, which the little animal projects on being compelled.

December 6. The male insects I have found to-day: a few of them are constantly running among the females most actively: as yet they are scarce more, I imagine, than one to 5000 females, but twice their size. The head is obtuse; eyes black, very large; antennae clavate, feathered, about 4ds the length of the body: below the middle an articulation, such as those in the legs: colour between the eyes a beautiful shining green: neck very short: body oval, brown: abdomen oblong, the length of body and head: legs six: wings membranaceous, four, longer than the body, fixed to the sides of the..."