886 PROCEEDINGS OF THE TIIIED ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 



them ill nature have adapted themselves to this habit, for instance, 

 mealy-bugs {Pstvdococcvs nipce) and Tingid bugs (Recaredus sp.) on seed 

 potatoes in store. 



Indiicirig oviposition. In order to observe and note details of life- 

 history it is often necessary to rear out adults or collect them from the 

 fields and make them lay eggs in confinement. All insects will not 

 oviposit easily under such conditions. They require the conditions in 

 which they lay eggs in nature or at least conditions as far as possible 

 similar. Almost all plant-feeding insects require livmg jilants in order 

 to oviposit. Sometimes when gravid females are obtamed from outside 

 they deposit eggs even when kept confined in a small jjill-box, because 

 then egg-laying is a necessity with them. Special means have to be 

 adojjted to get eggs from different insects. It is not possible to give 

 here our whole experience. We can only refer to a few cases?. 



It is generally difficult to induce butterflies to oviposit in confine- 

 ment. They require living plants and a large amount of space to fly 

 about in and may have to be fed with .sugar or honey syrup. We keep 

 them in the side-cages of the Insectary which give them sufficient room 

 to fly about. Potted jilants are supplied. Feeding is done according 

 to the following method. The syrup is placed in a glass crucible or 

 watch-glass. The butterfly is held in one hand between the thumb and 

 forefinger with the wings turned over its back and with a pin in the other 

 hand the proboscis is stretched out and its end dipped in the syrup. 



For moths the large-isized zinc breeding cages (PI. 133. fig. 1) are 

 used, potted plants being placed in them when necessary. These cages 

 also serve for bugs, sawflies and many kinds of beetles. Ant-lions can 

 be made to ovipcsit in these cages on a layer of fine dry sand placed on 

 the bottom. 



For giasshoppers we use the side-cages of the Insectary. Into one 

 of these cages one pair of HieroglypJms hanian was introduced in 1905. 

 Since then we have been cariymg on the progeny of this pair. Every 

 year young nymphs hatch out about June. They are fed and develop, 

 deposit eggs in the earth of the cage in October and November and then 

 die. The eggs in due course hatch about Jime agahi. 



In order to be able to observe the details of oviposition in the case of 

 giasthoppers and other insects which thrust their eggs into the ground, 

 they should be p!aced in a cage with four glass sides and provided on the 

 bottom with a block of wood two or th'ree inches high and in size about 

 half-an-inch less in breadth and width than the internal breadth and 

 width of the cage. This wooden block is covered with a very thin layer 

 of earth which however fills the quarter-inch space left all around 

 between the block and the glass sides of the cage. The grasshoppers, 



