THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 139 



rendering the correct mating very difficult for anyone not well 

 acquainted vvith the living insects in their native habitat. More- 

 over, this difficulty is still more increased by not a single 

 prominent character being quite permanent either in the sexes 

 or the species. 



Regarding the metamorphoses of our Phasmidse, it may be 

 remarked that the larvae, when leaving the egg, have already the 

 approximate form of the adults, except the wings and sexual 

 appendages, but at this early stage the limbs of the young present 

 a most disproportionate length compared with the insignificant size 

 of their body, even in some of our largest species. This tiny body 

 emerges first from the egg-shell, and is lifted perpendicularly above 

 by the gradually extending limbs, their extremities being the last 

 to get free, in this respect presenting an analogy to what takes 

 place when a mosquito emerges from its pupa case on the water. 

 The ova are more or less elongate, with the anterior end 

 truncated, and closed by a lid, which is let in like a stopper, and 

 pushed out by the infant larva when emerging. The above 

 recorded observations specially refer to the hatching of some eggs 

 of Troj}hidoderus rhodomus, M'Coy, deposited by a specimen 

 sent to the S.A. Museum. Some of the larvae died in the position 

 mentioned, being unable to free their claws, owing to the air 

 being too dry, which caused the fluids within the shell to dry too 

 rapidly. 



In connection with the succeeding metamorphoses, it may be 

 mentioned that often, during the operation of withdrawing the 

 limbs from the enveloping old skin, one or more of the legs 

 become detached from the body, either wholly or in part. In 

 such a case a young limb develops and grows from the wound. 

 This is at first quite minute and extremely soft, but elongates and 

 hardens in course of development, and is an analagous case to 

 that of the limb-restoring capacity among some Crustaceans, and 

 of the much higher Gecko Lizards respecting the tails. How- 

 ever, such restored limb or limbs remain frequently shorter and 

 more slender than the others, although in other respects quite 

 similar. 



In their habits the Phasmidse are chiefly nocturnal, remaining 

 more or less quiescent during the daytime, and moving sluggishly 

 when disturbed. They then sit quietly and almost immovably 

 among the foliage, or are stretched out to their full extent along 

 the twigs of trees and shrubs which they frequent. In these 

 positions their colouration (green, grey, brown, or mottled), as 

 well as their form, proves highly protective to them, being 

 imitative of their surroundings. The bright red and other spots 

 which adorn some species, on the contrary, serve as warning 

 signals for birds and lacertilians, which are very fond of the plain- 

 coloured kinds, but avoid the briglnly decorated forms generally. 



