254 HALF-AN-HOUR 



never saw ; the females he ascertained to be capable of agamic 

 reproduction to (so far as his observations went) an unlimited 

 extent. He found, too — and gives a figure of the same — that the 

 female sat upon her eggs with the same continuous care that a hen 

 does when seeking to hatch out a brood of chickens. It is most 

 interesting to observe here and there traces of this strong maternal 

 feeling, where (as in this case) one would least expect it. Some 

 spiders have it to a marked degree. The female earwig watches 

 over and leads about her young very much as does a hen ; so also 

 does Feiitatouia grisea, a large plant-bug, not uncommon on furze- 

 bushes. Chcylchis is one of the Troinbidina. 



Trombidium (PI. XIX., Figs. 6 — n). — The sf)ecies in this 

 genus are numerous and not well characterised. The best work 

 upon them I consider to be "Hermann's Me'moire Apterologique," 

 a large folio, with numerous carefully-coloured illustrations, pub- 

 lished about the end of the last century. There has, however, 

 been other good work done at them since. But there is still a 

 vast deal of such yet wanted to elucidate them satisfactorily. In 

 Rymer Jones's " Outlines" (at page 365), we have, on the autho- 

 rity of Dujardin, the startling information that posterior to the 

 pharynx "no traces are perceptible of either oesophagus, stomach, 

 or intestine, so that apparently the juices of organised bodies, 

 which constitute the sole food of these creatures, must be lodged 

 in lacunary spaces, destitute of any proper walls, in the middle of 

 a brown, parenchymatous mass, which probably performs the 

 functions of the liver. The lacunae, into which nourishment is 

 thus received, must necessarily be prolonged among the tissues, 

 and in the interspaces between the muscular fasciculi throughout 

 the entire body, thus replacing altogether the circulatory tluid ; 

 and even when living specimens of such genera (Dermanyssus^ 

 Gamasiis, BdcUd) as are sufficiently transparent are submitted to 

 examination under the microscope. Although it is easy to see that 

 the blood or other nutritive juices upon which the creatures live, 

 and with which their bodies are filled, occupies a lobed or sym- 

 metrically-multifid space, there is no appearance of any canal 

 possessing distinct walls, but the whole seems diffused through 

 lacunae that extend even into the bases of the legs." I do think 

 there must be error here arising from the extreme thinness of the 

 parieties of the abdominal walls. The great fault of Rymer 

 Jones's work consists in its being such a pure compilation — clever, 

 undoubtedly — but without original observation to guide in the 

 choice of materials for building his fabric. 



I was interested in finding recently amongst some drawings, 

 made a great many years ago, a figure of the remarkable antennal 

 forceps of Cheyktus erudilus. I found the specimen amongst rice. 



