1 78 [January, 



could not distinguish it in No. 1, the most forward, where nearly all the 

 yolk is consumed, and the hairs can now be seen, springing up beyond 

 where the attenuated membrane was, an hour or two since. 10.30 

 p.m. : the retarded No. 2 not begun to devour yolk yet, but the pecu- 

 liar gaping movement of anal segment observable ; the others all still 

 busy swallowing the remains of yolk. 



Twelfth day, 7 a.m. — No. 2 has begun to ingest yolk, the others 

 pretty well devoured it all, but still a deal of wriggling motion with 

 these, so as to make it difBcult to distinguish pulsations fairly, counted 

 several times, at 8 a.m. twenty beats per minute, at noon thirty beats 

 per minute, at 4 p.m. thirty-five beats per minute, increased still more 

 at 5.15 p.m., but the activity of the young larvae was very great in 

 their evident efforts to nibble the shell, which was at last accomplished, 

 first by No. 7, exactly at 5.30 p.m. ; before it was half out, No. 8 

 began, followed by Nos. 6, 4, 5, and 1, coming through so quickly that 

 by 5.35 all, except the retarded No. 2, had escaped and commenced 

 cleaning themselves and devouring their egg-shells. Eggs 3 and 9 

 were small and barren from the first. 



And now I have a little tragedy to record. The unfortunate No. 

 2 was doomed to fall a victim to its tardiness ; its brethren, when 

 eating up their own egg-shells, made an opening in this No. 2, and I 

 saw the air rush in, to the discomfort of the helpless tenant, not yet 

 ready to avail itself of the opening made, consequently it was killed, 

 literally torn to pieces by its comrades, who, finding this egg a more 

 moist and dainty morsel than the other shells, set upon it, two or three 

 at a time, and I actually saw one rise with a shred in its mandibles, 

 and another raising its anterior segments, endeavouring to take it 

 away : thus early fighting as it were over the remains of their less 

 fortunate companion. It may be queried whether this would have 

 happened under more natural conditions, but as young larvae are well 

 known to eat their egg-shells the first thing and to thrive the better 

 for it, I am inclined to think that, at least with eggs deposited in this 

 imbricated manner, it may occasionally happen. After witnessing this 

 performance, I put a piece of a leaf of knapweed on the glass slide, 

 still on the stage of the microscope, the larvae soon found it, and at 

 6 p.m. I removed them to a jam pot containing some larvae which had 

 emerged a few days before, and established themselves on leaves of 

 Centaurea nigra, making blotches from the under-side to the upper 

 cuticle. 



Ashford, Keut : 



November 6th, 1886. 



