4 6 



THE BRITISH WOODLICE. 



The openings are very difficult to identify, and Lereboullet 

 .(39, p. 113) was unable to find them. It is obvious that the 

 openings must be underneath the plates that form the egg pouch, 

 .and as a change of skin is required to set these free, it would 

 appear that at ordinary seasons the ducts from the ovaries are 

 closed. The writers have 



been able to determine * TESTES^. 



from external examin- //' / V \ X. 



ation of specimens which 

 had moulted and were 

 .about to lay eggs, that 

 the oviducts at such time 

 open to the inside of the 

 base of each walking leg 

 •on the fifth segment. In 

 similar specimens the 

 oviducts were also follow- 

 ed to the opening from 

 within. The brood pouch has 

 already been described. 



The male organs con- 

 sist of six testes arranged 

 in two pairs, each of which 

 is provided with ^.reservoir 

 (see fig. 21). The efferent 

 ducts from the two reser- 

 voirs unite at the base of 

 the thorax to form a com- 

 mon duct (or-' penis "). 



Development. — The 

 eggs, in the common 

 species of woodlice, at 

 least, are laid at the 

 beginning of summer, and are retained in the brood pouch, 

 where they undergo their development. The process has been 

 recently traced with great care by Professor Louis Rou:e (58) 

 in PovceUio scaler and the description which follows is based 

 upon his researches. 



As, practically speaking, the larval stages are passed within 

 the egg, and there is no free embryo differing in form from the 



£jfiere7i£ 

 duel. " 



(teft) 



0?77Z77Z£7l 



duct 



Seminal 

 reservoir 



fright) 



^tkoracic 

 Jegtmenl 



7 -pair of 

 >a6do7ra'?ial appe7u&u/es 



[.-THE MALE REPRODUCTORY ORGANS. 



(Oniscus asdlus.) 



