Séance du 17 Novembre 1920 (),*i 



As \\\v wiiii^s nrc noi uiiroldcd al Ihis slai^c, llicrc is 

 usually IK) acc'idcnl (luriiii; llic inolili. 



III. The Imaginai Moult. 



Tlu'-last inolili is specially iiilcrcsting owiiij.; lo the 

 iinloldiiii; orihc Nvings. 1 hadaii oppoilunily ol' walcliiiif; 

 Ulis on llic 17"' olMay, 1U17. I had just rclurncd IVoiiì an 

 oxcuisioii and by cliancc wcnl near one of my eaj^es 

 Nvlien I saw a leinale nymph head downwards hani^in«^ 

 lo the muslin hy the median and hind lei^s and jiisl 

 ahoul lo molili. 



Il was exaelly (> pm. ihuiiii^ nolhiiiii; heller to do I 

 was ahle lo examine Ihe whole pl^Vess al leisnie. Here 

 is Ihe exael leeord laken IVom my notes : 



("). "). The skin of Ihe hack havini> s()lit in the 

 eei)halo-lhoraeie rei^ion, the insect (irsi freed its pro- 

 lliorax. The latter hanging beneath the cast skin and 

 swollen with blood was bent in the shape ola bow as it 

 could not stretch ilsell' straighl out owing to the head 

 and Ihe hind segmenls sul i;l'i tì iv^ to llie old skin : 

 this obviously corresponds lo the (irsi stage in the case 

 of the lai\al moull. 



(). 20. The insect having freed ils aniennac. moulh 

 j)arls and raptorial legs, the whole of the fore pari of 

 Ihe body is now^ straight; pushed forw^ard and under, it 

 now stretches far beyond the corresponding parts of the 

 cast skin. Indeed these appeal- shninkfii and shoilened. 

 Ill a very short lime Ihe monlling process has |)assed 

 from llie tirsi to the second stage (1). 



1. When the imago is a male, the mileniiae usually 

 C([uirc loii^^er to free Ihemselvcs. 



