864 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. xxvl 



The species are exdusiveh' herbivorous, none being- known to take 

 animal food. One exception is recorded where some partially starved 

 leaf insects nibbled at the foliaceous expansions of their fellows, but 

 not enough to injure them in any way. The female of one of our 

 species has been recorded as eating- off the head of the male while 

 under the influence of sexual excitement, but the insect in question 

 was most surel}' not a Phasmid liut a Mantid, as this habit is not at all 

 uncommon among some members of that famih. 



Regeneration of limbs is quite common among- the Phasmidae. 

 Such limbs are much smaller and may alwavs be distinguished by the 

 absence of one tarsal joint, all regenerated limbs being tetramerous. 

 According- to Scudder, if the leg- be removed nearer to the body than 

 the trochantero-femoral articulation the limb will not be replaced. 



The eggs of our species are dropped at random on the ground. 

 Oviposition takes place in the fall of the year with our common north- 

 ern species and the eggs lie over winter, and sometimes even through 

 a second, before the nymphs issue. When the young walkingstick; 

 is in the egg, ready to emerge, the meso- and metathorax are not' 

 remarkal)!}' elongate, but before the little creature is fairly out of its 

 narrow prison the thoracic seg-ments. assume their usual pi'oportioiis. 

 It is said to he a most curious sight by those who have observed this 

 almost instantaneous development. 



In my studies of these insects specimens of all of our species have 

 been examin(^d, excejit Dlapherouiera mcsillana and carolom and i 

 PsendiMenuyl e strauihieux. The material of the U. S. National Museum 

 forms the basis of this paper. Specimens were loaned for study by the - 

 Colorado and Oklahoma experiment stations. For various kindnesses- 

 I wish to ex[)ress ni}' sincere thanks to Professors Scudder and Pruiier 

 and Mr. J. A. (t. Rehn. 



The family Phasmidte may be defined as follows: 



Body elongate, subcylindrical; abdomen with ten segments, tlie 

 basal one usually coalesced to the posterior part of the metathorax, 

 sometimes entirely invisible;" all of the legs equally ambuhitory; 

 wings wholly absent in the United States species, the location of the 

 metathoracic pair, and sometimes the mesotboracic pair also, gen(M- 

 ally indicated by a stationary wing-like' pad, ])earing a gland, presuni- 

 abl}^ a scent gland; tarsi live jointed, except in Thitona, terminated 

 b}^ two claws, lietween which is a large aroliuni; OA'ipositor concealed 

 by the subgenital plate; cerci inarticulate. 



I 



« In descriptive work the first abdominal segment is spoken of as the intermediary 

 segment and tlie al)df)men is considered as consisting of nine segments. Thus the 

 basal or iirst al)doniinal segment as used in the following i)ages is really the true 

 second one. I>ike\vise the seventh, eighth, and ninth segments are, respectively, 

 the eighth, ninth, and tenth ones. The generally inconspicuous nature of th(> true 

 basal segment, which is sometimes even wholly invisible, makes this nomeni-lature 

 seem advisable. 



