42 Mr. Saunders's RemarJcs 



of a deeper colour than the rest of the body. Ovipositor well 

 developed. 



September 5. Examined some of the females, no males having 

 yet appeared. Two or three were dead ; one nearly so, having 

 deposited a great number of ova within the pupa case, which were 

 enveloped in a short silky material. When the female has de- 

 posited all her ova, she is literally nothing but thin skin, which 

 soon desiccates, leaving room for the young larvse to pass. I have 

 examined other species of Oiketicus, and find all the females 

 are apterous. 



September 20. A male imago appeared this morning; it had 

 been in active operation a good while, as evinced by its wings, 

 being much broken at the tips and otherwise much abraded. It 

 is an insect of very peculiar construction, and seems to have some 

 affinity with Zeuzera, It has the extraordinary power of extending 

 the abdomen to two inches in length, and of turning and twisting 

 it in all directions. When in this state it has alternate rings of 

 black and yellow, with a curious appendage at the extremity. The 

 male appears very eager to accomplish the grand object of nature, 

 namely, the continuation of its species, as its existence appears to 

 be of short duration. The large fat or rather distended females 

 have not room to turn their bodies so as to present the generative 

 organs conveniently to the inale, consequently the immense de- 

 velopment of the abdomen in the males is of the greatest import- 

 ance ; but it appears very extraordinary that the head of the 

 female should be inverted, when it is known that she never 

 emerges from the case unless by accidentally falling therefrom, 

 which position obliges the male when in the act of coition to 

 stretch his abdomen all along the side of the female full 1| inches. 

 This peculiarity appears to me to be the design of the all wise 

 Creator in order to afford a secure place for the defenceless larva?, 

 viz. that of the pupa case of their parent, from which they emerge 

 after the disappearance of their mother's body, and immediately 

 form themselves silken cases covered with small pieces of any 

 thing they can procure, arranged in every respect like the larger 

 ones. 



The foregoing interesting details were forwarded to me by Mr. 

 W. Stephenson, and as they refer to an insect which appears to 

 be undescribed I shall here give a short character of the species 

 to enable future observers to identify it. I shall retain it in the 



