go Annals Entomological Society of America [Vol. Ill, 



egg may be only a relative protection in which new dangers are 

 involved. He next raises the argument that these eggs on ac- 

 count of the resemblance to some Brazilian seeds, deceive, so he 

 believes, the egg-parasites. 



This would imply that through the sense of sight the egg- 

 parasite would overlook the eggs on account of their resemblance 

 to some Brazilian seeds. It is open to serious question whether 

 the egg-parasites are guided to the eggs of their host through 

 the sense of sight alone, if at all. One illustration will suftice. 

 We (15) have found that Trichogramma pretiosa parasitizes the 

 eggs of Cimbex americana, and yet the egg-parasite cannot see 

 the eggs of its hosts as Cimbex deposits its eggs in a receptacle 

 within a willow leaf. In all probability, the sense of smell plays 

 an important role in guiding the egg-parasites to the eggs of their 

 hosts. 



A careful survey of the literature shows that the eggs of Phas- 

 mids are subjected to the attack of a number of enemies. Accord- 

 ing to King (9) the eggs of Anisomorpha buprestoides "are vic- 

 timized in a similar manner by a minute species of Ichneumon 

 fly, one of which has fortunately been obtained; it is probably 

 one of the Chalcididae: all the transformations take place within 

 the egg, and when fully developed the perfect Ichneumon fly 

 emerges therefrom." 



Bates (i) "observed that the author of the note was probably 

 in error in attributing the name of Anisomorpha buprestoides 

 to the species in question, which seemed to be a true Phasma." 



Smith (17) "remarked upon the peculiarity of all the trans- 

 formations of the Chalciditc parasite taking place within the 

 egg of the Phasma; such a mode of development was novel, if ti-ue, 

 but he suspected some error of observation." 



M'Lachlan (11) "suggested that the cocoon of the Chalcis 

 had been mistaken for the egg of the Phasma." 



von Brunn (2) records the observation of Wolff von Wiilfing, 

 that the young larvae as well as the eggs have many enemies, 

 "hauptsachlich Springspinnen und Hauseidechsen." 



Girault (3) in his paper on the "Hosts of the Insect Egg- 

 Parasites in North and South America" does not record an 

 egg-parasite from any Phasmid. 



I think that the resemblance of the eggs to seeds has no bio- 

 logical significance as a means of protection against the egg-para- 

 sites, if the eggs of the Phasmidae are parasitized. Sharp (16) 



