BIOLOGY OF LIMNERIUM VALIDUM. 79 



According to the dissections 19 eggs were deposited in the IT cater- 

 pilhirs, distributed as follows: One caterpillar was parasitized three 

 times, 2 twice, 12 once, and 2 escaped parasitism altogether. Of the 

 19 eggs deposited, 2 failed to hatch and became covered with 

 amoebocytes, as did also the eggshells except in one doubtful instance, 

 and in case of a third the embryo or larva was killed during the 

 process of eclosion, becoming also densely encapsulated with 

 amoebocytes. Two other larva? were killed after hatching, and were 

 entirely destroyed by the action of the amoebocytes, but their former 

 presence was revealed by the empty eggshells. The remaining 14 

 larva^ were in a living and apparently healthy condition. Some were 

 recently hatched, but others had grown to an appreciable extent. 

 They lay free in the body cavity of the host, generally in the pos- 

 terior half of the body, either above or below the digestive tube, and 

 with the head directed caudad in respect to the host. 



On the 7th of May, 5 caterpillars in the fourth stage were dis- 

 sected, and in 2 of them was found a living first-stage larva ; on 

 the 11th, 10 more caterpillars were dissected, but none was para- 

 sitized ; again on the 19th 2 caterpillars out of 10 in the fourth and 

 fifth stages were found to be parasitized. One contained a living, 

 first-stage larva of Lhnnenum^ the other a living larva in the second 

 stage, each host being about 20 mm. long, 



EMERGENCE OF ADULTS OF LIMNERIUM FROM REPRODUCTION. 



On the 21st of May, 2 unspun, full-grown larvae of Limnerlum, were 

 discovered in the tra}^ and between that time and the 1st of June, 29 

 in all were found, 6 of wdiich died before spinning cocoons. The rest 

 spun perfect cocoons, and. 6 passed through their transformations to 

 the imagos, in every case males, from June 7 to June 14. The re- 

 maining 17 cocoons remained unissued up to December 13, when 

 they were cut open and examined. All were found to contain dead 

 larva^, some perfectly dry and shriveled, although 4 seemed only 

 recently dead, as they were still plump although much discolored. 



In all cases in this experiment where remains of the host were 

 found associated with the larva or cocoon, the Limner^imn issued 

 from half-grown caterpillars, which were mostly in the fourth stage, 

 although a few appeared to be small and stunted specimens of the 

 fifth stage. On May 28 the remains of a host were examined. This 

 caterpillar was killed by the parasite when about 25 mm. long, while 

 still in the fourth stage. It had a large, round hole in the integument 

 on the ventral side, just back of the head, through which the larva 

 escaped, after destroying all of the internal organs. The integument 

 inside was left perfectly dry and bare, except for a small amount of 

 broken-down tissue at the extreme posterior tip of the body. 



