356 Mr. H. Ling Koth's observations on 



to notice the egg just as it was about halfway out. This 

 was at 9.15 a.m. At 11.2 a.m. the egg droj)ped to the 

 ground. There seems to be a special process, the function 

 of which is to retard the ejection. I attempted in another 

 way to ascertain whether there was any quick expulsion 

 or shooting out by placing the insects on top of a rod 

 amongst plenty of food in the centre of a large shallow box, 

 the bottom of which was covered with a layer of white 

 sand. The sand was intended to prevent any rebound 

 when the egg reached the floor. But the experiment was 

 not a success in so far as conclusive proof was concerned, 

 for although the few eggs dropped were found lying within 

 two decimetres of the rod's socket, the insects themselves 

 were continually escaping. The eggs emerge with the cap- 



.^^^J 



A and B Portions of Last Abdominal Tergum. 

 C Special Egg-holding Process. 

 D Egg lid. 



sule end pointing inwards. The insect makes no provision 

 whatever for the care of its young. 



Observations were made on 39 specimens to ascertain 

 how soon eggs are dropped after the last ecdysis, the sixth. 

 The result expressed in days is as follows : 18, 24, 18, 30, 

 16, 20, 19, 18, 20, 18, 16, 15, 15, 16, 17, 15, 12, 17, 14, 13, 

 15, 16, 16, 19, 17, 16, 19, 16, 15, 20, 16, 13, 18, 14, 17, 16, 

 15, 15, 14. Eliminating the record of one insect which 

 dropped her egg 30 days after the last ecdysis, for her whole 

 period of development was abnormal, we find the dropping 

 of eggs takes place from 12 to 24 days after the last ecdysis, 

 giving a range of 12 days with an average of 16" 5 days. 



Abnormalities. 



The results ofjthe observations on 32 insects, as regards 

 their duration of life and egg-production, are given in 



