112 SEEDS, STORES, AND WOOD. 



resemble a hood or cowl. The specimens I examined agreed with the 

 descriptions of A. fttriation ; they were about a line and a half in 

 length, although variable in this respect; jyitchy brown in colour, and 

 especially distinguishable to general observation by the retractile head 

 and gibbous thorax compressed behind and triangularly raised above. 



The wing-cases are reflexed round the edge of the abdomen, and 

 are marked with longitudinal furrows {stn(r), and covered with a short 

 down. Beneath them are a pair of strong wings. The legs and 

 antennfe are dull red. 



Observations recjurding egri-layinri and development of larvce.^' — " The 

 place of deposit seems to be selected with great care ; and in captivity 

 the female may be observed moving about with the ovipositor extended, 

 pausing from time to time for a few seconds to insert the extremity 

 into any small hole suitable for oviposition, sometimes apparently 

 simply for exploration, sometimes for deposit of an egg. Where the 

 circumstances provided were tolerably natural, the eggs were always 

 deposited singly, and I never noticed more than twelve inside the 

 abdomen of the female Anohixim. 



" The eggs are white, in some degree transparent, and deposited 

 with such a strongly glutinous secretion as to make it almost im- 

 possible to remove them from their position ; this secretion probably 

 playing a very important part in the insect economy by glueing, as it 

 were, the egg both in the place and also in the exact position suitable, 

 and apparently requisite, for the safe transition of the larva from the 

 egg to its future shelter. 



" The form of the egg varies from a perfect lemon shape to a more 

 or less irregular oval, corrugated for the most part, but not invariably 

 all over, the small raised round spots being placed with great regularity, 

 so as to give the smooth surface of the egg from which they rise the 

 appearance of an even net-work of bands, each spot having a depression 

 in the centre, and the number being approximately thirty-two in the 

 circumference of the egg about a third from the extremity. 



" Complete development of the contained larva appeared to take 

 place in twenty-one days from the date of laying, and, under favour- 

 able circumstances, exclusion from the egg took place about the 

 twenty-fifth day ; but where the egg was unsuitably placed for the 

 passage of the larva into its future food, it remained, through breaking 

 the egg-shell, helpless within, or, if removed, equally helpless without 

 (as far as its own unassisted efforts were concerned), towards forming 

 its larval burrow. As far as I could gather from careful observation, 

 it appeared that where the female beetle laid in unsuitable circum- 

 stances the larva was unable or unwilling to leave the egg, and it 



* These notes are extracted from my paper on Anobium striatum, published in 

 the ' Gardeners' Chronicle ' for January 16th, 1875, pp. 86, 87. 



