29;] 



own offspring'. In any case the females ;!re usually fertilized 

 by close in-breeding, either fraternal or tilial. Out-breeding-^ 

 is not however exclu(lc(l, for in some of these luasscs of co- 

 coons the males fail to complete their transformations and 

 these fenmles may 1k' impregnated by strange males and a fe- 

 n)ale which has left her cocoon mass after laying most of 

 her impregnated eggs max encounter and mate with a strange 

 male. In every case studie«I the eggs laid by '.niini])regnated 

 females prodnced only males, as seems to be general among 

 the Bethylidae. Mr. Bnsck's observations on Pcnslerola to 

 the contrary have not agreed with my experience with the 

 same species and Mr. H. F. \\'illai-d has couductcd a l^nv^ 

 series of as yet nnpnblished experiments in which isolated 

 females have never prodnced female progeny. 



The emerging females also assist the others to emerge and 

 remain together upon the cocoon mass for some days and be- 

 fore the colony scatters the cocoons are almost entirely des- 

 troyed, apparently being eaten by the adults. 



Food. Careful examination of the habits of the adults 

 have failed .to disclose any habitual nse of food other than 

 that furnished by the prey. Saccharine substances such as 

 honey or sugar and water were always refused and water was 

 refused tmless after a period of starvation. Adult female* 

 ])laced with bits of the pulp of banana at first refused it Imt 

 fed upon it freeh' after it had fermented and developed a 

 growth of moulds. The nudes upon being placed with fe- 

 males with their \ivv\ fed in the same manner. 



Confllri ii'ifli till' frcij. The conHict between the Sch'vo- 

 dennns and her prey was quite peculiar and certain difFei-ences 

 were revealed between S. hntnif/rnns ordinarily utilizing (olc])- 

 terous larvae and the endemic species wlii(di habitually attack 

 the more aggi'essive Lepidopterous larvae, but in either case 

 the first attack was directed towai-d the mouth and seemed 

 designed to ])aralyze the mandibles. In ibis attack th<^ 

 Srlcrodcnmis holds herself straight and attacks backward. 



