202 [August, 



$ , the time of the day not seeming to have any effect. The size or 

 material of the box did not seem to make much difference — all were 

 kept equally damp— but the absence of pine-needles caused a length- 

 ening of the period to some 40 hours. 



The species is apparently strictly monogamic : owing to the fact 

 that the observations were only begun after most of the $ £ had 

 emerged, none of this sex were to hand for the later of the ? $ , and 

 so those g <$ which had paired in the first few experiments, were put 

 to these $ $ , and in no case did copulation occur. Similarly, neither 

 the $ nor the $ of the pair separated after 20 mins. paired again. 

 After the ? has remained virgin for a couple of weeks, she seems to 

 lose her attraction for the opposite sex ; at least, after this time no 

 pairing occurred, though fresh J 1 <$ were confined with three such till 

 their death. 



Oviposition was watched on several occasions ; the $ sits on a 

 needle and bends the tip of the abdomen round to the underside of it, 

 and after the site chosen and the side of the last deposited egg, if a 

 row is being laid, has been smeared with some adhesive secretion, the 

 ovum is passed quickly down the semi-transparent ovipositor on to the 

 needle. At first they are deposited in rapid succession, e.g., a row of 

 eight in 4 minutes 25 sees, (intervals of 45, 30, 25, 45, 30, 45, and 

 45 sees.). The maximum number thus laid in a row was 18 (the 

 maximum altogether on a single needle being 28), but the average 

 about 6, single ova being the exception ; the great majority were laid 

 on the flat (upper) face of the needle. The last few ova were often 

 laid irregularly, e.g., on top of a previous row or on the side of a 

 needle : the whole period was 4-8 days, after which the $ weakened 

 and died, but I do not think that in all cases the full number of ova 

 were laid. The totals obtained in five experiments were 208, 146, 127, 

 143 and 106, giving an average of 146. Only 72 ova were laid on the 

 sides of the box by the $ not pi'ovided with a pine shoot. 



Out of 714 ova, 646 were fertile — a little over 90 %, though 

 nearly another 10 °/ (nearly all of them in the same batch) of the 

 larvse failed to emerge successfully, dying apparently from desicca- 

 tion after the exit hole had been made ; in two experiments, all the 

 ova were fertile. The unfertile ova are easily recognised, as they 

 remain green and eventually " cave in." 



The development of the larva can be readily seen through the 

 thin translucent chorion, the six ocelli on each side being easily 

 distinguishable. A large hole is eaten through the shell by the young 



