Bau — The Biology of Stagmomantis Carolina. 11 



can see the tiny heads pushing their way up out of the 

 ''trap-door. " By a series of backward and forward move- 

 ments the insect rises higher and higher out of the cell, 

 until it lies entirely on the top, where it rests quietly for a 

 moment as if preparing for the ordeal of shedding the 

 membranous, sac-like covering which encloses the entire 

 body.^ As the insect rests one can with the microscope 

 see the two silken threads which seem to leave the cerci, 

 and which soon converge into one heavier thread which 

 apparently leads back to the floor of the cell from which 

 the little nymph has just emerged. 



The insects just after leaving the egg-case are shown, 

 enlarged, in Figs. 1 to 5, PL XVII. They are still en- 

 closed in the tightly-fitting, membranous sac which is 

 held in position by the silken threads (Fig. 2). After a 

 few moments the thorax begins to enlarge and a lump 

 appears behind the head, which becomes larger and 

 larger until the condition shown in Figs. 1 and 3 is 

 reached. As this lump increases, the head bends further 

 and further downward against the ventral surface (Figs. 

 4 and 5), causing the prothorax simultaneously to be- 

 come elongated and rounded until we see the rupture of 

 the tegument; the enlarging of the prothorax seems to 

 push the skin apart causing an opening, and as this or- 

 gan expands the old skin is pushed further and further 

 back. This bag-like membrane encloses the entire or- 

 ganism, and holds the legs and antennae fast, close to 

 the ventral surface of the body. 



This shedding process was long thought by many 

 naturalists to be the first ecdysis, but as neither the 

 antennae nor the legs cast their skin, but the membrane 

 enfolds them as well as the entire body, I do not see how 

 this can hold ; neither can this covering be the egg-shell, 

 for we have seen that the egg-shell is left in the egg-case 

 at emerging. In again referring to the casting of this 



•The hind pair of tarsi protrudes from the sac-lilie covering, and 

 may have aided the insect in emerging. 



