Rau — Observations on Samia C ectopia, Linn. 29 



following the morning when copulation began, which goes 

 to show that if we add to this the length of time spent in 

 copulo, which averages over twenty-one hours, we find 

 that the greater number of females began ovipositing on 

 the same day that copulation terminated, only four begin- 

 ning one day later. 



(j) The number of days tvhich elapsed in the life of the 

 fertilized female from the day when the last eggs 

 were deposited until death. 



Notes derived from observations in five instances. 



In four out of five observations we find that death over- 

 took the insect on the same day or one day after oviposi- 

 tion. In one case, A 4, we found the female, after deposit- 

 ing 217 eggs, spending the last three days of its life with- 

 out ovipositing, while, upon dissection after death, 91 

 eggs were found in the abdomen. The pair A 4 were 

 accidentally severed while they were in copulo 8 hours 

 and 30 minutes, and a connection was never again re- 

 sumed. Perhaps this was the direct cause of the three 

 days ' duration of life between egg laying and death with- 

 out further oviposition, while in the other cases death 

 overtook the individuals, as it were, almost in the midst 

 of the egg laying. 



III. Obsekvations on Copulation and Oviposition. 

 (a) The length of time each pair remained in copulo. 

 Notes derived from observations in twelve instances. 



