Further Observations 



of waiting for her offspring, she decided to 

 set out by herself before her strength was 

 completely exhausted, lest she should block 

 the ascending shaft. A spasm, due to the 

 inexorable toxin of old age, struck her down 

 almost on the threshold of the dwelling. 



The reason for this abnormal prolonga- 

 tion of the larval state escapes me. Perhaps 

 it should be attributed to some hygienic flaw 

 in my rearing-apparatus. It is obvious that 

 all my care was unable to realize fully the 

 conditions of well-being which the grubs 

 would have found in the dampness of a deep, 

 unlimited soil. Within a narrow prism of 

 sand, too much exposed to the variations of 

 temperature and humidity, feeding did not 

 take place with the customary appetite and 

 growth was slower in consequence. After 

 all, these belated larvae appear to be in first- 

 rate fettle. I expect to see them undergo 

 their transformation at the end of the winter. 

 Like the young shoots whose development 

 is interrupted by the inclemency of the sea- 

 son, they await the stimulus of spring. 



151 



