Adult female brick-red, elongated, distinctly segmented, convex; length about 1/2in.; before gestation active, naked or covered with thin meal; during gestation stationary, enclosed in a thick mass of white cotton. Antennæ of eleven joints, tapering to the tip; the joints all nearly equal, and bearing several hairs. Feet black, short, strong; all the pairs placed somewhat forward; digitules absent, a short seta at the base of the claw; on the inner edge of the tibia and tarsus a fringe of strong hairs; on the trochanter a long hair. Rostrum and mentum absent; mouth represented by a minute orifice between the second pair of feet. Eyes very minute, tubercular, projecting, placed behind the antennæ. Anal tubercles absent; anogenital opening small, elliptical, simple, hairless. Body flattish beneath, more convex above; segments distinct, generally smooth, sometimes bearing hard projecting callosities. Skin covered with minute hairs interspersed with circular spinnerets. Female of second stage deep-red in colour, nearly globular, very indistinctly segmented; stationary, enclosed in a thick, hard solid test of yellow wax; tests attaining sometimes the size of a large pea; enclosed insect averaging 1/5in. in length. Insect filling the test; skin smooth, very thin; general appearance like a hard, round, smooth ball. Anal tubercles absent; anogenital ring small, simple, hairless: from this ring springs often a tuft of short white cotton, and a long white cottony seta protruding through an orifice in the test. Rostrum and mentum present, very small; mentum triarticulate, with a few hairs at the tip. Antennæ very short, of eight joints, conical, tapering to the tip, hairy. Feet atrophied, bloated-looking, apparently only consisting of a very short femur, tibia, and tarsus; digitules two, very small. Skin covered with a great number of circular spinnerets of two sizes, the larger ones simple, the smaller multilocular. Tracheæ very large; spiracular orifices containing brown tubes with beaded extremities on the inner end. Anal extremity dark-brown, the anal ring in the centre; spinnerets here very numerous, converging towards the anus. Insect in this stage emitting a strong, persistent, and fetid odour. Young larva brick-red, elongated, active, naked; length, about 1/24in. Antennæ of six joints, hairy; last joint the largest, clavate. Eyes and feet as in adult, but there is no fringe on the tibia and tarsus. Rostrum and mentum large, conspicuous. Skin covered with circular spinnerets and minute hairs; the spinnerets are most numerous on the abdomen. Anogenital ring apparently folded. At the extremity of the abdomen two long hairs springing from quadrate tubercular bases which represent the anal tubercles.