6 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



present the longitudinal section of the egg-case and show 

 one room of each of whole number of suites. Fig. 5 still 

 contains the empty egg-shells left Ijy the emerging in- 

 sects; in Fig. 6 they are for the most part removed. 

 Figs. 1 and 2 are horizontal sections near the bottom and 

 top (floor and ceiling) respectively. Fig. 1 shows dis- 

 tinctly the arrangement of the cells in cross rows (cf. 

 Fig. 4) which, with their galleries (Fig. 2) meet at the 

 center of the structure in an obtuse angle. Here they 

 are dovetailed together in such a manner as to present 

 a "braided" appearance along the crest of the case, 

 each fold of the braid being a flap, or the trap-door of 

 one of the galleries. Figs. 3 and 4 show horizontal sec- 

 tions of the egg-case through the middle, with and with- 

 out the egg-shells in the cells. All of the horizontal 

 views show the row of marginal cells surrounding the 

 entire mass, and the heavy partition separating these 

 from the egg-cells proper. These are present in all 

 ootheca but are never used for oviposition. The purpose 

 of these unoccupied marginal cells is not readily under- 

 stood. We know that the egg-cases are cemented to flat 

 surfaces; this would give ample protection against cold 

 from the bottom. On the top we find the empty galleries 

 which form an air-chamber between the outside covering 

 of the case and the eggs. May it be that this row of 

 unused cells is an adaptation for the lateral protection 

 of the eggs from the cold or perhaps from the attacks 

 of parastic impostors? Of course this is distinctly a 

 southern species, and usually does not live above 40° 

 latitude, and other members of this group are tropical. 

 It is not fully known just how exits are made in the 

 egg-cases of other species; it may be however that this 

 character is a relic from some ancestor which used 

 lateral galleries for exits. 



The Emerging Mantis. 



In the spring of 1909, after the egg-cases had with- 

 stood the natural weather conditions of the winter, 39 



