﻿376 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOURTH 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  

  

  sake 
  a 
  list 
  of 
  the 
  papers 
  published 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Hewlett 
  and 
  liis 
  Assistants 
  

   on 
  this 
  subject 
  is 
  appended. 
  — 
  Eonald 
  A. 
  Senior-Wliite]. 
  

  

  The 
  lines 
  of 
  inquiry 
  may 
  be 
  classified 
  under 
  the 
  following 
  heads 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  (1) 
  Specialized 
  egg-laying 
  habits. 
  — 
  The 
  factor 
  or 
  factors 
  that 
  deter- 
  

   mine 
  insect 
  oviposition, 
  i.e., 
  whether 
  the 
  stimulus 
  to 
  which 
  an 
  insect 
  

   responds 
  in 
  selecting 
  a 
  particular 
  plant 
  (or 
  any 
  other 
  material) 
  for 
  

   oviposition 
  is 
  tactile 
  or 
  olfactory. 
  The 
  possibility 
  of 
  the 
  stimulus 
  

   operating 
  through 
  the 
  organs 
  of 
  sight 
  was 
  not 
  investigated. 
  Whether 
  

   the 
  stimulus 
  was 
  of 
  a 
  thermal 
  nature 
  was 
  also 
  considered, 
  but 
  no 
  con- 
  

   venient 
  method 
  of 
  recording 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  plants 
  could 
  be 
  devised. 
  

   In 
  this 
  connection 
  some 
  interesting 
  results 
  were 
  obtained 
  with 
  Papilio 
  

   demoleus. 
  It 
  refused 
  to 
  oviposit 
  on 
  the 
  thin 
  green 
  netting 
  with 
  which 
  

   a 
  lemon 
  plant 
  was 
  kept 
  covered, 
  a 
  fact 
  which 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  minimize 
  

   the 
  possibility 
  of 
  the 
  olfactory 
  factor 
  coming 
  into 
  operation, 
  but 
  on 
  

   one 
  occasion 
  it 
  freely 
  oviposited 
  on 
  both 
  citron 
  and 
  Dimmta 
  leaves 
  in 
  

   a 
  mixed 
  bunch 
  of 
  the 
  twigs 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  plants 
  (uncovered) 
  ; 
  again, 
  while 
  

   it 
  did 
  not 
  oviposit 
  on 
  Duranta 
  leaves 
  scented 
  with 
  extract 
  of 
  citron 
  

   leaves, 
  in 
  one 
  experiment 
  it 
  gave 
  profuse 
  layings 
  on 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  an 
  

   unscented 
  Duranta 
  plant, 
  when 
  this 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  plant 
  with 
  which 
  

   it 
  had 
  been 
  enclosed 
  in 
  the 
  cage, 
  a 
  fact 
  which 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  complicate 
  

   any 
  theory 
  that 
  might 
  be 
  advanced 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  factors 
  deter- 
  

   mining 
  oviposition 
  in 
  these 
  insects. 
  

  

  (2) 
  Specialized 
  feeding 
  habits, 
  or 
  the 
  " 
  educability 
  " 
  of 
  insects. 
  — 
  

   Attempts 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  extend 
  Verschaffelt's 
  experiment 
  to 
  caterpillars 
  

   generally. 
  Experiments 
  were 
  done 
  with 
  the 
  Eri 
  and 
  Mulberry 
  silk- 
  

   worms 
  {Attacus 
  ricini 
  and 
  Bombyx 
  mori). 
  The 
  caterpillars 
  refused 
  to 
  

   eat 
  (a) 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  flour 
  dough 
  and 
  finely 
  minced 
  leaves, 
  (6) 
  boiled 
  

   leaves 
  of 
  their 
  food 
  plant, 
  (c) 
  flour 
  dough 
  treated 
  with 
  an 
  extract 
  of 
  

   boiled 
  leaves 
  ; 
  but 
  they 
  ate 
  (a)dough, 
  or 
  certain 
  other 
  leaves, 
  {e.g. 
  

   rose 
  and 
  Duranta), 
  sandwiched 
  between 
  leaves 
  of 
  their 
  own 
  food 
  plant, 
  

   (6) 
  heavily 
  punched 
  leaves, 
  with 
  the 
  punctured 
  portions 
  filled 
  up 
  with 
  

   dough, 
  (c) 
  beaten 
  bits 
  of 
  dough 
  alternating 
  with 
  strips 
  of 
  leaves. 
  There 
  

   was 
  also 
  a 
  notable 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  colour 
  of 
  the 
  excrement 
  of 
  caterpillars 
  

   fed 
  on 
  dough. 
  

  

  (3) 
  Energy 
  Transformation. 
  — 
  With 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  preparing 
  a 
  series 
  

   of 
  energy 
  transformation 
  curves, 
  attempts 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  correlate 
  the 
  

   amount 
  of 
  food 
  material 
  taken 
  by 
  certain 
  insects, 
  {e.g., 
  Eumenes, 
  Sceliph- 
  

   ron), 
  during 
  their 
  different 
  stages 
  of 
  growth 
  with 
  their 
  body 
  weight. 
  

   The 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  excrement, 
  as 
  also 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  moisture 
  through 
  eva- 
  

   poration, 
  were 
  taken 
  into 
  consideration 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  obtain, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  possible, 
  

   a 
  series 
  of 
  correct 
  " 
  metabolism 
  " 
  curves. 
  

  

  