Séance du 17 Novembre 1920 (il 



The slil widens and llic lirsl pari lo l)c liberalcd is 

 llic piolhoiacic rci^ion. l'or il is (ho prolhorax which, 

 owini; lo Ihc lythniical conliaclions of liie alxlonuMi, is 

 swollen by a How ol" hiood and, pressing againsi (lie 

 suluio, linally huislsil open. The new |)rolhora\, whieh 

 is slighlly curved longiludinally, is seen beneath (lie 

 casi skin lo which il is allached by Ihe head and abdo- 

 men. Seen in |)i()lile, Ihe inseel looks at Ibis nionienl 

 likt' Iwo superimposed bodies. One ol Illese, hooked 

 on to Ihe muslin by the j)oslerior and median claws, 

 widely split along the back, is the cast skin. The other, 

 which hangs ))elow, includes among othei- things, the 

 newly moulted thorax. Besides the I'oui- wingiels already 

 IVeiMJ IVom their sheaths, the front legs work at lilierating 

 themselves. The sheaths of the femora of the front legs 

 j)nsh outwards the sides of the groove in the cast skin 

 and protrude within this grooxc lo Ihe end of the 

 prothorax. 



The head and prothorax being siili conlìned during 

 Ibis phase, the emjity ])oi lion of the cast skin is stretched 

 out straight. The much swollen abdomen is no longer 

 raised over the ba(d< as in the lai \a but lies sliaighl in 

 a hoiizonlal plane. 



The inseel now tries to free Ihe head, mouth parts 

 and antennai' by pulling at its front |)art. 'I'his operation 

 lasts about ten minutes. 



The head having been IVeed and Ihe raptorial legs 

 pulled out of their sheaths. Ihe appearance of Ihe 

 Kmpusa is hencelbrtli (|uile altered. The front part is 

 suddenly straightened and pushed forward so thai llie 

 whole of the prothorax projects beyond the front of the 

 cast skin. The insect, now half free, moves its raptorial 



