The Growth and Habits of Carausius morosus. 381 



Water-drinking. 



It has been mentioned that on hatching out water is 

 frequently imbibed with avidity. Afterwards, unless 

 improperly fed or neglected, the nymphs and insects avoid 

 water. Towards the end of life, when for days together 

 they are unable to eat and therefore to take in moisture 

 with their food, they will search for water and remain 

 with their mouths immersed for many minutes. 



Cannibalism. 



They will bite off one another's appendages if not 

 sufficiently supplied with food. At the Manchester Museum 

 once during vacation some stick insects were left for about 

 7 to 10 days without being fed. At the end of that period 

 out of 24 specimens only 5 remained perfect, all the others 

 having their appendages more or less mutilated, small 

 portions of which were found lying on the floor of the 

 jar. There were no body mutilations. 



I have had two cases in which one full-grown insect was 

 mutilated by one or more full-grown insects, although there 

 was plenty of food in the jar at the time. Only the appen- 

 dages were bitten off, and of these in one case only one leg 

 was left perfect, when, as it could no longer feed itself, 

 it was taken away and destroyed; while, in the other 

 case, all the appendages were more or less bitten off, and 

 it died of want of food. 



The Excreta. 



The excreta are thick and cylindrical in shape and 

 fairly dry when ejected. The presence of eggs in the 

 body does not in any way tend to flatten their shape, but 

 in times of illness or approaching dissolution the excreta 

 are flat or tape-like in appearance. This is contrary to 

 the observations of Meissner, who states that egg ejection 

 tended to flatten the excreta. 



Protective Measures. 



The nymph or insect is possibly protected from enemies 

 by its resemblance to a stick or twig, and its habit of lying 

 flat against a stalk, especially when very small. Also by 

 its facility for adopting the cataleptic attitude when it 

 slips to the ground, not with its appendages spread out, but 



