330 Prof. Westwood's notice of a tube-making 



small box containing specimens of a small homopterous 

 insect allied to the genus Apliropliora, the economy of 

 which is remarkable. '* The larva," my correspondent 

 remarks, "resides in a tube, which is fixed on a twig or 

 leaf- stalk of the Suriya tulip tree {Adansonia digitata, 

 L.), on the end of the branches. The perfect insect, no 

 doubt, deposits its eggs in the same way that Aplirophora 

 spumaria lays hers, but I have not yet noticed the growth 

 of the tube. I had one under observation for about a 

 week, and could, with the aid of a lens, see the move- 

 ments of the larva inside. Its position in the tube was 

 head downwards, and it seemed to be continually working 

 its anus against and round about the inside of the tube 

 near its orifice. At intervals a clear water-like fluid 

 was discharged from its anus, which would escape from 

 the tube drop by drop. I allowed some of this to fall 

 upon a clear slip of glass, but it did not seem to congeal. 

 It gradually dried on the glass, leaving but a slight 

 mark on its surface. I see in your ' Modern Classification 

 of Insects,' ii., p. 433, that a species of Aphrophora is 

 found upon trees in Madagascar, the larva of which 

 emits a considerable quantity of clear water, especially in 

 the middle of the day, when the heat is the greatest. Can 

 this be the same insect ? [No.] Here in Ceylon the water 

 seems to drop from the tube day and night, for I have 

 seen it dropping before sunrise. Our insect has a life of 

 some weeks in the larval state, and never shows itself 

 outside of its tube until it is ready to assume its perfect 

 state. The change occurs early in the morning, generally 

 between six and seven o'clock, shortly after sunrise. 

 First of all a quantity of little bubbles appear in the 

 form of a knob at the mouth of the tube. Then the 

 pupa comes out tail first, and takes up a position on the 

 top of the tube [transversely, like the letter T], and in 

 the middle of the bubbles. In about ten minutes it 

 completely extricates itself from its old skin, and the 

 curved horn on its thorax seems to uncurl. Some of the 

 specimens I have sent you show this. Please see if 

 there are any males among them. If not, it is possible 

 that they may not reside in tubes. I noticed a few 

 the other morning resting on a twig, the female above 

 and the male below ; the latter was considerably smaller, 

 and of darker colour. On being slightly disturbed they 

 leaped away. They appear to be very scarce, seldom 



