'^o [September, 



Loon Dufour* has figured and described the eggs of two species of 

 Corixa. That of striata is oval and somewhat suddenly acuminate at 

 the free end ; that of hieroglyphica is oblong-oval, and also acuminate 

 and pointed at the free end. He says that these eggs are placed on a 

 kind of circular pad. I have seen the eggs of G. nigrolineata. They 

 were laid about April 24th, and were then shortly pyriform, attached 

 to the broader end ; the free end narrower and nipple-shaped, with a 

 projecting point from the nipple. In colour, they were yelloM'ish-white 

 and opaque, and the surface very delicately hexagonally reticulated, 

 with the reticulation finely impressed. They were attached singly, or 

 two or three together, to plants, &c. On May 5th, the annulus roiind 

 the nipple had become fuscous, and the egg generally darker, except 

 the nipple, which remained light. On May 7th, the shape of the egg 

 appeared to be less pyriform and more ovate ; at about one-third the 

 length of the egg from the apex appeared on each side the eye of the 

 enclosed embryo as a reddish-brown spot, not sharply defined, and 

 somewhat curved wedge-shaped, and made up of hexagonal cells ; in 

 the annulus were six dark lines, radiating from the centre of the nipple. 

 May 10th, egg generally darker, and eye spots larger and darker. 

 About May 13th, some of the eggs were hatched ; the apex split along 

 the dark radiating lines, and the six teeth thus formed rolled somewhat 

 back, and each nearly divided into two or three lesser teeth. 



The young Corixa, when newly hatched, is delicate white in 

 colour and semi-transparent, the eyes alone being reddish-brown ; it 

 soon, however, becomes darker in colour, and banded with grey. The 

 first i^air of legs are much the same as in the adult, with rows of cilia 

 and a single claw ; the second pair are as in the adult, the one-jointed 

 tarsus being provided with two long claws ; the third pair as in the 

 adult, but the tarsus with one joint only (as Westwood obscrvesf), 

 with two claws and simple hairs. Inside the legs, the muscular fibres 

 may be seen constantly twitching, for what purpose I know not, unless 

 it be in connection with the circulation. The habits of the young 

 Corixa are much the same as those of the adult. At this stage my 

 observations were unfortunately cut short by the death of my spe- 

 cimens. 



The adult Corixa in swimming uses only the posterior legs ; these 

 legs are also used for cleaning the elytra, &c. In doing this, the 

 animal uses one or both legs, brushing the pronotum, elytra, the under- 

 side of the hind-body, and the long hairs at its end. To assist, perhaps, 

 in this cleaning process, the inside of the hind tibia and the base 



* Becherches sur les Hemipt&res. 1 Modem Classif. ii, 460. 



