248 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Burmeister, figures the ovum of the latter insect- in situ, but his cut gives 

 an erroneous idea of how they are deposited. Howard^'^ briefly refers to 

 the manner in which they are placed, and mentions the nature of the 

 filaments. Sharp^® quotes Korscheldt to the effect that the filaments are 

 pneumatic in function, although he doubts it. Burmeister^^ mentions the 

 filaments and the manner of oviposition, and Packard also refers to this 

 peculiarity.^^ The method of oviposition is also mentioned by VVestwood, 

 who quotes Rosel and Geoffroy, the former to the effect that the eggs are 

 dropped at random, and the latter as stating that they are inserted in the 

 stems of aquatic plants, leaving the filaments only exposed. ^^ In addition 

 to these two, Amyot and Serville^^ quote De Geer as to the form and 

 filaments of the ova. The best account of the ova, with a sufficiently 

 accurate figure, is that of Pettit.^^ This has the honour of being the first 

 description of the ova of any American Ranaira, although the species is 

 quite doubtful, owing to the obscurity in regard to the number of our 

 native forms. 



Rafiatra quadrideiitata endeavours wherever possible to insert its 

 eggs in some soft substance, either a growing plant or a decaying one. If 

 these be not available, the ova are dropped loosely, although this is the 

 last resort of the over-distended gravid female. The bug is provided 

 with a sharp toothed ovipositor, which it digs into the plant stems, thereby 

 making a hole for the reception of each egg. The ova of Ranatra also 

 increase in size as embryonal development progresses. They reach 

 maturity in about two or three weeks, the queer little bugs emerging 

 through a round cap at the top which carries the filaments. On emerging 

 they are greenish yellow, and so very soft that they bend double when 

 picked out of the water. Later, in the course of a few hours, they attain 

 the darker colour mentioned in the description. 



15. Insect Book, p. 277. 



16. Cambridge Natural History, Insects, Vol. II, p. 564. 



17. Handbuch, Vol. II, p. 199. 



18. Text Book of Entomolog^y, p. 523. 



19. Introduction, Vol. II, p. 461. 



20. Histoire Naturelle des Insectes — Ht^mipt^res, pp. 442-3. 



21. The Egg of the Water Scorpion ( Ranatra fusca). Canadian Ento- 

 mologist, 1902, Vol. XXXIV, pp. 212-13. 



