312 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 4 



that, "Die Jungen sind namlich vom erwachsenen Tier ganzlich 

 verschieden: sie sind vollkommen grlin gefarbt. . . . Erst kurz 

 vor der letzen Hautung geht diese Farbung allmahlich in Braun 

 liber." Although we are dealing with the same species, our observa- 

 tions not only upon specimens reared in captivity, but also upon 

 hundreds of individuals collected in their natural habitat are very 

 different from those of this investigator. Many walking-sticks change 

 their color from green to various shades of brown during the interval 

 between the second and third molts, but more often after the third 

 ecdysis Many female walking-sticks retain the green color through- 

 out their natural life; in others, however, a marked individual varia- 

 tion in the color patterns exists after the last ecdysis, such as various 

 shades of grey, brown or brick red often combined with various mot- 

 tlings. Males which pass through four, five or six molts to complete 

 their post-embryonic development, always have the characteristic 

 adult color pattern after the last ecdysis; a day or two before the 

 last molt, the newly developing color pattern becomes very promi- 

 nent, especially in those specimens which have retained the green 

 color up to this time. 



In molting, the Phasmid bends down the prothorax at its union 

 with the mesothorax so that the head lies beneath the latter (Fig. 7, 

 pro). The top of the head may be in contact with a leaf, stem or 

 other object, while the front legs and antennae are thrown back along 

 the sides of the body. 



In the Phasmidae, Mantidse, Blattidse and Acridiidse, the cervical 

 ampulla plays an important role in the process of molting. It consists 

 of a soft membrane joining the head dorsally to the prothorax (Fig. 

 7, c) and can be transformed by the afflux of blood into a greatly 

 swollen pouch, which projects out immediately behind the head. 

 The turgidity necessary to break the old chitinous integument in 

 the Acridiidse is produced as follows according to Kunckel d' Her- 

 culais (50): "Us remplissent leur jabot d'air au point de le distendre 

 completement; des contractions musculaires, meme peu energiques, 

 peuvent alors aisement chasser le sang dan I'ampoule cervicale. On 

 comprend, d'apres cela, que I'effort exerce par I'ampoule est d'autant 

 plus energique que le jabot est plus gorge d'air." 



The old chitinous exoskeleton splits longitudinalh' at the region 

 of the cervical ampulla and this split increases in length during the 

 process of extrication. After the insect has completely withdrawn 

 itself from the exuvium, the cleft extends along the dorsal median line 

 from the head region to the posterior end of the thorax. 



During the process of ecdysis, the dorsal surface of the prothorax 

 pushes out first from the old integument; next comes the head, fol- 



