DEVELOPMENT OF OBTIIOPTEROUS INSECTS. 103 



the legs — long, lanky, ribbou-like legs, among which were mixed 

 the long antennae. Figure 2 will show how these appeared. Na 



Fig. 2. 



■>. 



intestines or internal organs at all seemed yet to have been formed, 

 Tlie body was perfectly transparent and full of difterent-sized cells, 

 which seemed a trifle more aggregated between the segments of 

 the abdomen. In some there was no distinction between the head 

 and thorax, or between the thorax and abdomen ; in others this 

 distinction began to appear (whether visible on account of position 

 or not I could scarcely say, but probably it might be so). On the 

 skin being ruptured, the cells poured out in quantity, but there 

 was no appearance of any vessels or defined internal structure of 

 any kind. There was, however, an indication of the eye externally. 



I am therefore compelled to admit that, if my African specimens 

 had been fresh and entire, I should have found a head and long legs 

 curled up under the thorax, and not an apodous acephalous maggot. 



So much by way of rectification of the mistake which I myself 

 have committed. It remains to consider whether Professor Owen's 

 statement, which led me wrong, is correct or not. If his observa- 

 tions bear the meaning which I attached to them, I certainly think 

 he has fallen into a mistake. If he meant, as I supposed him to 

 do, that the young Blatta ever was in the egg in the shape of a 

 real acephalous and apodal larva, then I feel very confident that 

 he is wrong ; and he may have been misled in one of two ways. 

 He may have fallen into the same mistake which I committed — 

 mistaken the vermiform-looking back of the Blatta for a maggot. 

 Or he may have fallen into an error which I have escaped. In 

 opening one of these egg-capsules (not taken from the parent in- 

 sect, but one which had arrived at maturity, and been deposited), I 

 found a number of the larvae in a disarranged, empty, sloppy state. 



