HUNGERFORD: AQUATIC HEMIPTERA. 235 



water boatmen have any herbivorous habits. He believes, how- 

 ever, that the posthumous paper of H. Rathke, 1861, sent in 

 by his pupil H. Hagen, and dealing with notes on Hydrometra 

 lacustris and Naucoris cimicoides, treats really of a Corixid 

 and not an Naucorid. In spite of the fact that Kirkaldy, who 

 must have had a good knowledge of German, for he wrote 

 one large paper in that language, quotes from these "Studien 

 Zur Entwicklungsgeschichte der Insekten" in his account of 

 the life history of a Naucorid, the writer cannot accept the 

 account as dealing wath a Naucorid at all. The description of 

 the eggs certainly applies to Corixid eggs, not to any Naucorid 

 eggs the writer has ever seen described. Let the reader ex- 

 amine the drawings of the eggs of the Corixids on plate XXV, 

 and then read carefully the following : 



"Eier eines Insektes {Naucoris cimicoides). Es waren dieselben 

 einzeln, doch mit unter in ziemlich grosser Zahl in der Nahe von einander 

 an die untere Seite der Blatter von Polygonum amphibinm angeheftet. 

 Sie batten eine Lange von V2'" und beinahe die Form einer Citrone nur 

 waren sie ein klein wenig langer und gingen an dem einenende in 

 einen sekr kurzen, aber auch sehr dicken Stiel iiber, auf dem sie angehftet 

 waren, so dass sie mit der achse auf dem Blatte senkrecht standen Die 

 Eischale war bedeutend dick, entw^eder rein weiss oder weiss mit einer 

 Beimschlung von Lehmforbe, fast ganz undurchsichtig, starr und hart, 

 so dass ich in ihr Kalk vermuthete. . . ." 



The eggs were lemon shaped. They were perpendicular to 

 the support. The description fits the egg of some Corixids, but 

 not of Naucorids. The notes go on to state that the eyes 

 turned carmine red, that the head of the embryo lies always 

 on the free end and comes out first, etc. Having concluded 

 that Rathke must have been watching a young Corixid, the 

 following note is indeed of interest here : ^ 



"Die Jungen schwammen sehr schnell, waren uberhaupt sehr beweg- 

 lich und frassen, obgleich sie einen kurzen Riissel hatten, zerbrockelte 

 und zergangene Conferven und Pristleysche Materian, wodurch ihr gan- 

 zer Dormkanal unrein grune Farbung erhielt." 



The larvae ate the Conferva until the intestine was green! 

 Now it may be that Nancorids do the same, though the writer 

 is taking the liberty to transfer this note to the place where 

 he thinks it belongs, and to credit to this scientist the first and 

 only note on the herbivorous tendency of a water bug. As be- 

 fore stated, all the others have classed Corixids as carnivorous. 

 Thomas, 1871, gives the account of Corixa ovivara West., 



