STKUCTUKE OF THE PEOBOSCIS. 579 



to animal food, a number of them having betn observed 

 gathered round the body of a caterpillar, with their beaks 

 sunk deeply into it. The well-known naturalist, De Geer, 

 states that some species of this family watch over their eggs 

 until they are hatched, and then take care of their young, just 

 as is said of the earwig. He remarked that the motlier 

 reminded him of the hen and her chickens, leading them from 

 spot to spot, and evidently keeping guard over them until 

 they were strong enough to shift for themselves. 



The same naturalist further observed that these insects can 

 disengage the piercing portion of the proboscis from the sheath, 

 and replace it at will. His description is as follows. I have 

 not his work by me, ♦ but follow the translation given in 

 G-riffith's edition of Cuvier's ' Animal Kingdom.' 



' It has happened to me,' says De Greer, ' to observe on one 

 of these young bugs, placed under the microscope, that its 

 proboscis was entirely disengaged out of the furrow of the 

 sheath. It hung then at the end of the tongue, like a very 

 long thread. I saw, again, that at the end of the thread the 

 tliree pieces of which it was composed were separated one from 

 the other. The following day I observed on the same bug 

 that everything was restored to its proper place — that the 

 proboscis was placed, as before, in the, furrow of the sheath. 

 It appears, then, that the bug can mthdraw its proboscis out 

 of its sheath and put it back when it thinks proper. It drew 

 the proboscis out of its sheath once again ; I then saw how the 

 intermediate part of the proboscis and of the point played — 

 how the bug elongated and shortened it alternately. I saw 

 some drops of fluid come out of and re-enter the proboscis. 

 The two semi-sheaths which accompanied it played also 

 alternately in front and rear. 



' I was attentive to observe how the bug caused its proboscis 

 to re-enter into the furrow of the sheath, and at last I achieved 

 this, after having observed it without interruption for more 

 than a quarter of an hour. It first of all puts its proboscis in 

 a parallel line with the sheath, or at least it holds it extended 

 the entire length of the sheath ; afterwards it gives an inflexion 

 to the sheath, about the middle of its extent. It folds it like 

 a knee. It then applies this knee against the middle of it? 



p p 2 



