Holmes, Death-feignnjg m Ranatra. 213 



head reflexes and leg movements began to appear again, and the 

 part was soon as violently excited as ever. The fore legs vv^ere 

 frequently dravs^n up as they are in a normal Ranatra when it pre- 

 pares to fly toward the hght. The part showed marked responses 

 to light for over, an hour. 



The posterior portion of this specimen continued to retain its 

 rigidity for some time after it was cut off, but it showed very 

 little movement and died about four hours after the operation. 

 Its original tetanic condition seemed to pass gradually into one 

 of limpness and flaccidity. 



A second specimen was cut across the hinder part of the pro- 

 thorax. Just before the operation when the specimen was taken 

 up in the fingers the fore legs were moving, although the hind 

 part of the body was rigid. When cut across, the insect gave no 

 response except that the fore part of the body became rigid like 

 the rest. Eleven minutes after the operation the head would 

 give no reflexes when the light was moved about near it for over 

 a minute. Five minutes later it would not respond at first, but 

 when the light was moved about over it for nearly a minute the 

 head reflexes began to appear and these were quickly followed 

 by movements of the legs. The part was then taken up, the legs 

 straightened out and stroked, when they became r gid. It was 

 then placed on the table where it remained immobile and insensi- 

 ble to light. When the light was moved around it for over a 

 minute the head reflexes reappeared. The more the light was 

 movjed about, the more the excitement of the part increased, until 

 it became very active and vigorous. For three hours and a half 

 the head continued to show reactions to light. The posterior 

 part of the body gradually became less rigid, but showed little 

 mdependent movement; it died about four hours after it was 

 removed. The same experiment was tried on other specimens 

 with similar results. 



The severed posterior portion of the body of Ranatra comes 

 out of the death feint more quickly than the part containing the 

 head. If it is picked up and stroked, it may be thrown back into 

 the death feint again, but it remains in this state for only a 

 comparatively short time. If the nerve cord of Ranatra is cut 

 between the first and second thoracic ganglia, the insect may be 

 kept alive much longer than when cut across the prothorax. 

 The two parts of the body may then be caused to feign death 



