374 STUPIES IN THE LIFE-HISTORIES OF AUSTRALIAN ODONATA, 



reed, about three inches, which was full of eggs, and placed 

 it in clear water in aflat Petri dish; all the rest were put inta 

 a large jar of water. 



Tl.e ovum is elongate-oval in shape, with one end rounded and 

 the other pointed; the portion towards the pointed end is the 

 thicker. In situ, the rounded end is furthest from the puncture, 

 the point of the egg just resting in the opening. The ova do not 

 darken materially during the first fortnight. At the end of three 

 weeks they are dull yellowish. On November 15th, five weeks 

 after they were laid, I examined the eggs in the Petri dish, and 

 found them a pale rich brown in colour, wiih two minute black 

 spots indicating the position of the eyes of the embryo. (See 

 Plate xxxiii., fig. 3; a, ovum during first fortnight; b, same, five 

 weeks old). Meanwhile tlie reed in the large jar had decomposed, 

 and the ova were affected with fungus, so that I was obliged to 

 throw them away. 



On November 20th, forty-one days after the ova were laid, the 

 first larva hatciied in the dish. During the next few days more 

 than a dozen hatched out; the rest apparently were either sterile 

 or affected with some parasite which I was unable to determine;, 

 at any rate they faihd to hatch out. 



The young larva sits on the sharp edge of the reed. It is per- 

 fectly transparent, except for the two tiny black eyes. Length 

 1-5 mm over all; caudal gills long and slender, hairy; legs rather 

 long. The creature is very active, and shows vigorous fight whea 

 poked at w^ith a pin. 



When about four days old the larva is 2 mm. long over all, and 

 is brownish, slightly mottled, and considerably stouter in build 

 than when first hatched. The colour darkens gradually until the 

 first ecdysis takes place, after which it becomes pale and trans- 

 parent again. 



When the larvae were about a month old, I removed one to a 

 watch-glass in order to sketch it. It was most active, and I was 

 unable to use the camera lucida. However, I made a careful 

 pen-and-ink sketch of it, which is now reproduced in Plate xxxiii., 

 ficy.4. Length over all 3 mm, colour pale straw; head round^. 



