Jan., 'lOJ ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 2Q 



at rest in spiders' webs, not entangled, but ready to move when 

 disturbed, still I never saw any evidence of the spiders being 

 attacked nor of other insects being taken from the webs. Twice, 

 however, I noticed remains of Eincsa in webs, one of which be- 

 longed to Agalcna. The bugs had apparently been sucked 

 dry. one of them chewed as well, the fragments being held 

 together with bits of silk. Living specimens were seen out of 

 doors as late as October 5, up to which date we had no heavy 

 frosts. 



The copulating habits of these emaciated beasts seem to be 

 undescribed. Just before 8 oclock, on the morning of Septem- 

 ber 18, I found a pair of them on the kitchen screen. Union 

 had already been effected when I came on the scene and lasted 

 only about five minutes afterwards. In the meantime I had 

 made some notes and a sketch which will give some idea of the 

 curious pose assumed by the male. He stands upon his hind 

 logs, some little distance behind the female, who is in her ord- 

 inary resting attitude, his middle leg's cling by the tarsal claws 

 to the hind legs of the female, which are grasped a little below 

 the knee. The male abdomen is bent downwards at a sharp 

 angle with the anterior part of the body, the tip overlapping 

 the apex of the female abdomen on the left side. The front 

 legs, in both sexes, are extended forwards, those of the male 

 having the tibia folded back on the femur while in the female 

 it is open. The female started to walk away, but the male wa-> 

 equal to the emergency being able to accompany her and yet to 

 hold his position by tip-toeing on his hind feet and releasing the 

 hind legs of the female alternately or both at once when she 

 moved. 



After the pair separated I put them into a large box in order 

 to determine the number of eggs and the length of the period 

 of deposition. The first were found on the morning of the 

 second day after copulation and were either fresh laid or de- 

 posited during the preceding night. In all nineteen were pro- 

 duced the time consumed being between three and four days. 

 The male died soon after, without, as far as I know, having 

 resumed relations with his mate who used him as food and 



