1914] Anatomy of Epidiaspis Piricola. 49 
the more or less functional brain. However, a nerve can be 
seen arising from either side of the lobes reaching out towards 
the antennal rudiments. 
Experiments were undertaken to ascertain the insect’s 
sensitiveness to touch, which show that there is a decided lack 
of visible response to any sort of stimulus. The only move- 
ment that could be noted was that of the drawing in, or tele- 
scoping, of the posterior region when touched with a needle. 
This shortening takes place through the contraction of the 
segments. No other movement of the body was observed in 
response to other stimulants such as light, heat and water. 
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM. 
The Diaspine present an extraordinary arrangement of 
the digestive system, diverging in this respect considerably 
from the other sub-families. Dr. A. Berlese, the well known 
Italian biologist, seems to be about the only man who has 
done any considerable amount of work on this group, and 
he reports a very novel condition of the system. He describes 
elaborately in his studies, the arrangement of the organs of 
digestion and assimilation, and finds that the stomach is 
entirely disconnected from the intestine and the rectum. 
This condition seems to be almost unbelievable. It is a con- 
dition met with usually only in certain animal forms where there 
occurs a regurgitation of undigestible foods. Such an action 
is highly improbable among the Diaspine. Certainly no one 
has ever observed this phenomenon among them and the 
removal of wastes can probably be explained in another way. 
The digestive epithelium of the stomach of Epidiaspis 
is made up of very large cells (Plate XIII, Fig. 9-a) with cor- 
respondingly large nuclei. The action of the digestive secre- 
tions on the ingested plant juices is such that it reduces them 
to a condition where they can be taken up by the blood-plasma 
and used for food, reaching this medium by osmosis through 
the walls of the blind sac or stomach. With the food also 
passes that which is of no use to the insect and which is taken 
care of by the exceedingly well developed Malpighian tubules, 
of which there is a single very large pair, (Plate XIII, Fig. 9-b). 
These excretory organs are fused, and at the very point of 
fusion a short duct leads: into the rectum to which the 
